Recipe: Sangria Saturday

I proclaim today Sangria Saturday! The fruity drink can sometimes be a little too sweet, but I found the PERFECT recipe I had to share. It is from the cookbook of one of the best restaurants in Austin, Fonda San Miguel. I made some edits to the recipe, which I noted.

• 2 oranges, thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 1 lime, thinly sliced
• 4 cups fresh firm fruits, prepared and sliced as appropriate (we only used the oranges, lemons and limes for this portion but added more of them. You could also add apples, pears or any other fruit here)
• 1 gallon full-bodied dry red wine, such as a Cabernet Sauvignon (as you can see in the photo below, we picked up Fetzer, which is affordable and tastes good)
• 1 1/2-2 cups orange liquer, such as Cointreau or Triple Sec
• 1 1/2 cups Presidente brandy
• 2 bunches lemon verbena, washed and stemmed, about 2 cups (we skipped this)
• Fresh soft fruits, prepared and sliced as appropriate (we are using pineapple, grapes, kiwi, strawberries)
• Club soda, champagne, or sparkling wine (we are using Ginger Ale-it gives it a nice flavor!)

Combine citrus slices and other firm fruits in a large, nonreactive container (we used a glass pitcher). Add wine, liqueur, brandy and lemon verbena. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or up to three days). This time I didn't plan ahead to let it sit overnight-but if you do have time I highly recommend it! When ready to serve, put some soft fruits into each wine glass and fill two-thirds full with the sangria. Top off with a splash of club soda or other sparkling wine.

You can also find this recipe and others from Fonda San Miguel, including their AMAZING margarita in an interview with their chef here.

Happy weekend-let me know if you try it out!