SANGRIA SUNDAY

IT'S CINCO de MAYO. . . again!

It's that time of year again. The "holiday" that reminds me of how much I love sangria.  Many (ok, most) of you love to do the margarita thing. I get it.  I really do. Me, I love sangria. In fact, I think the main reason I turned to sangria (besides my love of wine) was because I am allergic to Tequila.  Even the good stuff. As soon as I have a drink of Tequila (margarita, on the rocks, Patron straight, et al) I get sick - violently, stomach clenching, running to pray to the Porcelain Gods sick.  I can't even enjoy the effects of Tequila because one sip makes me feel like I never want to have another sip again. That being said, I had to find the perfect party drink for me to enjoy on Cinco de Mayo. Enter Sangria!

Every year at this time I make an original recipe for my family (and whoever else stops by the house!). This year is no different. Well, maybe a little different.  This year I made TWO original recipes!  I guess taking some time off to do the "Mommy" thing has built up a lot of creative juices in me!  I don't have the opportunity to make sangria as much as I did before the Love of my life came to me. Ok, let's face it. Opportunity isn't what I'm lacking - it's energy! This year I made "tweaks" to a couple of previous recipes that received a great deal of response - Basic Sangria (August 13, 2010) and Peach (September 10, 2010). I hope you get a chance to try and enjoy them with your family and friends.


Happy Cinco de Mayo to all!

Basic Strawberry Sangria

Ingredients
1 lb Fresh Strawberries sliced into halves or quarters
1 medium Orange sliced into rings (with the peel)
1 small Lemon sliced into rings (with the peel)
1 cup Brandy
3/4 cup Simple Syrup
1.5 L Red Wine (Find something fruity. I used a blend from my favorite local winery Pietra Santa)

Directions
Mix sliced fruit with brandy in a pitcher. Stir well and let sit for a minimum of 30 minutes (trust me, you'll be glad you did when you eat the fruit!). Add simple syrup and wine. Stir well and serve.  You can put it into the refrigerator or serve immediately over ice. For a bit of fiesta fizz, add a sparkling water.


Peach Apricot Sangria

Ingredients
1 lb Fresh Peaches (White or Yellow - whatever is freshest)
1 lb Fresh Apricots
1 cup Peach Liquor
1 cup Simple Syrup
1.5 L White Wine (Find something crisp and refreshing. I used a Savignon Blanc)

Directions
Peel peaches and apricots. Slice fruit into quarters. Combine fruit and liquor then let sit for at least 30 minutes (again, you'll be glad you did). Add simple syrup and wine. Stir well and serve. 

For an amazing alternative to the wine, use a Prosecco. The crisp bubbly goodness makes this sangria even more amazing! 

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE

SUPERBOWL CHAMPION

BALTIMORE RAVENS!

 

CHEERS!

 

SANGRIA SUNDAY

As long as I can remember, Cinco de Mayo has been a pretty big deal where I'm from - street closures, bars/restaurants with margarita and sangria specials, there's even a parade! Yes, we do Cinco de Mayo like it was the Fourth of July.  I know it's not Mexican Independence Day. In fact, I'm not sure Cinco de Mayo is even as big a deal in Mexico as it is here in California.  Either way, we LOVE Cinco de Mayo.  I Love Cinco de Mayo and this year I plan to really enjoy it.

You see, for the past three years (that's 4 Cinco de Mayos) I lived in Atlanta, GA.  While there are a lot of great things to say about that city, celebrating this day really wasn't one of them. The first year (call it CdM 1), I had just moved into the city. I was staying in a hotel and the front desk suggested I go to a restaurant on the north end "inside the perimeter".  I went, not really knowing any other options.  Suffice it to say, I walked in ordered chips, salsa, a sangria, ate, drank, paid the bill and left as quickly as I could.  I have a general rule: if you go to an ethnic restaurant and no one of that ethnicity is IN the restaurant, you probably shouldn't be either! (Put that place on my "Never Go To Again" list.)