Summer Sangria

I was home one weekend with my mom and we were doing a little shopping in Westport. Dinnertime was approaching and we started discussing some options when it hit me - I didn't so much care what the food was but I really felt like making sangria. Leave it to me to decide on something last minute, get this grandiose idea in my head, but not have a recipe on hand to back it up. So, I snuck into the local Williams Sonoma and headed straight to the cookbook section. I'm sure the ladies in their forest green aprons were wondering what I was doing sitting on the floor, taking notes from a thin cocktail book, but I was desperate. "Nope, don't need help, just stealing some recipes. And nope, no intention of buying the book, but thanks." Oh well. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

When I mentioned I was making sangria my mom was somewhat surprised. She didn't quite understand what the big fuss was about. I think after that night's pitcher of fun I've successfully converted her to a sangria aficionado. (I'm home today in CT and these words just came out of her mouth, "I would love to make sangria tonight!" Ha! Mission accomplished.)

Ingredients:

Recipe:

One bottle full -bodied red wine, Cotes du Rhone is a good pick
1/4 cup brandy
1/2 cup white grape juice
1 cup club soda
2/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup lime juice
1/2 orange, thinly sliced
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
1 apple, sliced and diced
1 peach, sliced and diced
other fruit: pears, strawberries, grapes, optional

The numbers here are rough. I'd say give or take whatever you like/dislike. And taste it as you go along.

The recipe we used didn't call for sugar. Most recipes do, however. I think we had so much fruit in ours it didn't matter. I normally don't like sweetened sangria anyway-blech!

Enjoy! I hope this post influences lots of sangria-induced smiling.