summer sangria

If anything has been a theme for us this summer, it has been this sangria.  We have been drinking it constantly at parties and regular old dinners at my parents’ house and, most recently, while we watched the Olympic Opening Ceremonies.  It is fruity and tropical and (aside from my beloved blackberry sangria, which I promise I will test a recipe for and post sometime soon-ish) is really some of the best sangria I’ve had.

And I think it’s somewhat authentic, too.  Everyone in my family (except for me it seems) has traveled to Spain at some point in the last several years, where sangria is a pretty constant drink.  At some point after my parents got back to Spain a few years ago they tried to replicate the sangria they had had there.  But I didn’t really think it worked: too much fruit made it too pulpy and the flavor didn’t really seem all that it could be.  It turns out though, that real fruit isn’t exactly the end all be all when it comes to sangria flavor.  I’m pretty sure Gerrit told me that when he was in Spain they just had wine mixed with fruit juice all the time and called it sangria.

Which is kind of what this is: wine mixed with orange juice concentrate and cranberry juice.  It still has fruit in it to give it that fresh flavor.  And yes, it does have apples which is a bit unusual but I think also delicious (and a plus because it means this juice can carry you in to fall just a bit).  It also has a little liquor, which gives it more depth (and potency).  And even though all of the things it combines seem a little unusual in a sangria recipe, I promise this one is perfect and once you try it you’ll probably be sipping it well into fall.

Summer Sangria (aka Overtime Sangria)
from Deen Bros. Good Cooking Tailgating

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Wait Time: 2 hours

Makes about 3 quarts (not quite a gallon)

2 (750 ml) bottles pinot noir (or Spanish rioja wine)
1 (12 oz.) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 cups cranberry juice
1 cup spiced rum
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 red apple, sliced
1 green apple, sliced
1 orange, sliced
1 lemon sliced

1. In a large pitcher, combine wine, orange juice concentrate, cranberry juice, rum, brandy, and sugar.  Stir until it is well mixed and the sugar is dissolved.
2. Stir in the sliced fruit.  Cover the drink and chill for at least 2 hours to give the fruit time to flavor the the drink.  Serve cold over ice.