Monday, September 10, 2012

liquored up: sangria


i'm kind of a lush. one of my favorite things to live by is the time-and-a-place rule. there's a time and a place for everything. like vodka redbulls... the time was seven years ago and the place was any given night club where the volume of the music alone could make you feel buzzed. i'm a lot older now but i still like that buzz. kinda like how if you get drunk off wine you're worldly and tasteful and if your guilty pleasure is a well-whiskey drink, or two, you're as good as the local hobo... 
so, i bring to you SANGRIA!
classy people drink sangria, in large sunglasses and maxi dresses on patios downtown during the day.


this is a first for me, i don't make things in the kitchen. bear with me. the cool thing about sangria is you can't really go wrong. i wasn't following an exact recipe. i came up with this after chatting up a couple bartenders and some quick google searches...

ingredients:
750ml bottle of dry white wine (i am NOT a wine drinker, i just grabbed the highest alc %)
6oz. cheap vodka (cause i'm cheap)
random fruit of your choice - i used peaches, pineapple and ginger
1/4 cup simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, bring to boil, let cool)
soda water, lemon-lime pop, ginger ale or other fizzy drink of your preference



after adding all the ingredients, let it sit in your fridge for a night or two. remember: patience is a virtue.
the idea is for the fruit to ooze it's flavor into the booze. we added the vodka for two reasons 1) because it makes the sangria stronger, and 2) because it actually acts as a type of preservative to keep the fruit from spoiling. i mean i don't know how long you plan on this lasting but if you had to keep it for a week or so you would probably be pretty fine.


once you've let it sit and do its thing for a day or so serve it over some ice and top it off with some soda water or even lemon-lime soda or ginger ale if you like it more sweet. my intention was to garnish it with a skewered piece of candied ginger and a mint leaf, but i ate it all before the sangria was ready. so, i topped it off with a slice of lemon, just cause it needed something. we're going classy, remember?


i tried this recipe because i want to take a jar of it to a friend's birthday party. how cute would this giant mason jar look with some pretty fabric tucked under the lid and a little packet of candied ginger tied around the neck with a sweet little bow?
i'll try and take a photo to share with you before i give it away.

cheers!

xo, pearl

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