Sangria Sonrisa
Cristina Acosta ©2007
The Spanish word sonrisa means smile. And you'll
get plenty of smiles when you serve this Sangria at your next
get together. The perfect fiesta drink, this recipe is easy to
put together and
flexible. Start with an
inexpensive red or white wine, add plenty of fruit and some
bubbly and you are done. This recipe is light, fruity, and not
too sweet.
Serve the Sangria in a clear glass pitcher
and ladle some of the fruits into the glasses along with the
liquid. It's easy to refresh -- just add another bottle of wine
along with a bottle of ginger ale and you're good to go for a
second batch.
Serves 4 to 6
Tools: Sharp knife,
food slicer (optional), pitcher
Ingredients:
- One 750 ml bottle of red or white wine
- One 12 oz. bottle of quality Ginger ale. I use brands with real ginger and sugar instead of corn syrup.
-
1 cup thinly sliced strawberries
Note: wash the outside of the citrus fruit and slice with the
skin on.
- 1 medium/large orange, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 medium/large lemon, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 lime, halved and thinly sliced
- One 20 oz. can of pineapple chunks in their own juice.
-
approx. 1-2 cups ice
All ingredients together and serve. You can make this
ahead an hour or more, so that the flavors can meld, but
it’s not necessary. Note that red wine will dye the
fruits after it sits for an hour or more, so they will not be
quite as pretty when served. If that bothers you, put it in an
opaque pitcher. White wine maintains the color of the
fruits.
For a spicy option: Slice a fresh jalapeño pepper in half lengthwise and mix with the fruits. The longer the mixture sits, the more picante (hot and spicy) the Sangria will become.
Fruit options also include watermelon and peaches. I don't think apples go well with wine. Experiment with other fruits.
Try some more of Cristina's recipes
Read more about Cristina's Hispanic heritage.
