Sangria in the Summer

sangria pitcher

Fruity, refreshing cocktails go so well with many of my summer activities like sitting around for extended hours at the pool or watching kids ride bikes up and down the street. We also live in a beach town so that contributes to the summer cocktail vibe.

I rarely drink wine, but I will drink sangria. To kick off the summer season, I made a pitcher of sangria. My recipe has the fruit steep in rum for several hours before adding the wine, but I have seen recipes that use brandy and/or triple sec.

Ingredients

  • 1 orange
  • 1-2 lemons
  • 1-2 limes
  • 1 1/2 c. light rum
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1 (750 ml) bottle dry red wine
  • 1 c. orange juice
  • club soda

sangria fruit slices

Directions

  • Chill fruit, rum, wine, orange juice, and club soda.
  • Slice the lemon, lime, and orange into thin rounds and place in a large glass pitcher.
  • Add the sugar and rum and stir until sugar starts to dissolve. Chill in refrigerator 2+ hours.

sangria rum and sugar

  • Crush the rum soaked fruit slightly with something like a wooden spoon and stir in wine and orange juice.
  • When ready to serve, pour over ice leaving a little room at the top for a splash of club soda. Make sure to top with a few fruit slices.

sangria servingNotes

  • Since I don’t know how to pick out good wines, this is a good recipe for me because it is perfectly acceptable to use cheap red wine a la the sale aisle at the grocery store. Most recipes recommend Rioja, Pinot Noir, or Beaujolais.
  • Try to remove seeds from the fruit slices before adding to the pitcher.
  • Sangria is easy to serve from those party beverage dispensers with a spigot, and it transports well in go-cups.

sangria go cup

Let’s Celebrate

paloma grapefruit cocktail

The Back to School Teacher Emergency Kit Giveaway has ended. In honor of this amazing giveaway I am sharing one final summer cocktail recipe to celebrate.

Of the handful of cocktails I posted this summer, the cherry margarita is still my favorite, but this weekend’s cocktail, the Paloma, was refreshing. I am definitely drawn to drinks with tart, citrus flavors in them, so this grapefruit based drink caught my attention.

paloma grapefruit cocktails ingredients

The Ingredients

  • 1 shot tequila
  • 2 shots pink grapefruit juice (preferably freshly squeezed)
  • 1 T. simple syrup or Agave syrup (or to taste)
  • splash of club soda
  • 1 lime wedge
  • crushed ice

The Directions

  • In a glass, mix the tequila, grapefruit juice, and simple syrup. 
  • Add crushed ice.
  • Pour a splash of club soda on top.
  • Squeeze a wedge of lime on top and garnish with a slice of lime.
  • Ingredients list makes one large Paloma. Increase amounts as needed.

The Notes

  • To make simple syrup, Put equal parts water and sugar in a pot and heat on the stove until sugar is dissolved. Swirl the mixture a few times while heating. Remove from heat and let cool. If you only need a few cocktails, mix 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar. If you are mixing cocktails for a large group, double or triple. Leftover simple syrup can be kept in a container with a lid in the refrigerator for a long time.

paloma grapefruit cocktail drinks

The Giveaway Details

  • Giveaway ended at 7 pm (EST) tonight, 8/4/13.
  • My two lucky winners will each receive one filled Back to School Teacher Emergency Kit! I will announce the winners this week in a separate post.

teacher emergency kit filled and gift tags