Delicious and refreshing summertime sangria.
What's pink, pretty and packs a real punch? Rose Sangria. It's sizzling hot outside this week and I think the best thing to do is pour a tall glass of ice cold sangria, go visit a good friend and talk for hours. It takes just a little planning ahead because the fruit will need to macerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
When I found out my friend Louise was not doing well, I went to see her and we made sangria! I had already had the fruit in my fridge macerating overnight, so we just had to add the Prosecco, ice and fresh mint. She has a fabulous herb garden so getting the mint was easy. Apparently the deer in the neighborhood only like flowers so the herbs are thriving.
Macerate means to soften or sweeten by soaking in a liquid. In this case the liquid is the sugar and alcohol.
Louise is actually a famous floral designer from New York City. Like so many who moved south during the pandemic, she is finding the change of pace totally refreshing. She spent a lifetime in the home of celebrities, mayors, governors and and the elite of the city. Now she is retired and living nearby and just full of great stories and entertaining tales of those bygone days. Her porches were still scorching hot even at 6 in the evening so we sat inside, sipped on our drinks and made a promise to each other that we would meet again very soon.
The next time we meet I plan to master another surprise cocktail for her - maybe something very challenging, The mai tai may be the one! Well, it would be challenging for me because there is quite an art to using the perfect rum from Cuba and other ingredients I can only find on the internet. My friend Jeff made the perfect mai tai while we were all vacationing on Isle of Palms this summer. His skills are par excellence, so the bar has been set high. His was the most delicious drink with lots of freshly squeezed lime juice and other things I had never heard of.
Don't even consider the bottled lime or lemon juice for any of your cocktails - that would be sinful. It would totally ruin your drink. The sangria uses fresh lemon juice and there is no substitute.
My grandson stayed in the pool most of the evening along with his sister, Virginia.
Sangria contains delicious ingredients like Cointreau, Cognac, fresh peaches, strawberries, raspberries and grapes. Any fruit you love that is in season will work. Cointreau is the iconic French Orange Liqueur that will elevate your at-home cocktail creations. It's actually make from sweet and bitter orange peels. It's a type of Triple Sec, the name for a category of dry orange liqueurs. It was introduced in the 1880's in France.
Adding Prosecco makes it light and up lifting.
1 bottle rose Prosecco
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (please do not use bottled!)
1/4 cup Grand Marnier or Cointreau
1 tablespoon Cognac
1/4 cup superfine sugar
1 cup water
1 freshly sliced peach. (frozen or canned will work fine)
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/2 cup raspberries
1 cup red grapes, sliced in half
Combine the lemon juice, Cointreau, Cognac, superfine sugar and water with the fruit. You may use just about any fruit that is in season, just be sure it's organic and fresh. Let it sit in the fridge overnight. Add the proscecco just before serving with lots of ice. Try to be sure each glass has fruit on top and a sprig of fresh mint. Voila!
Your guests should be extremely happy.
