Thursday, April 26, 2012

Strawberry Rose' Sangria


When I was pregnant with Caroline, all I wanted was a glass of sangria.  I wanted red wine sangria - with the booze-soaked fruit at the bottom of the glass.  And wouldn't you know - when I finally gave birth and was ready to have a drink again, it was completely lackluster.  We went to a Mexican restaurant, and as usual I hemmed and hawed deciding whether to order a margarita, beer, or sangria.  But I ended up going with sangria since I'd been craving it for all those months.  And it was not good.  I'm pretty sure it was just a bottle of "sangria" from the grocery store.  No fruit on the bottom.  Being in my hormonal post partum state, I think I started crying.  And Joey quickly flagged the waitress down and ordered me a margarita.

I can't think of a single person who would be disappointed in this sangria.  It's pretty awesome.  You start by soaking strawberries and peaches in sugar, vodka, and triple sec - it makes them unbelievably sweet and perfect.  Then you add rose' wine and sparkling water.  I know that rose' wine seems to get a bad rap because of the association with white zinfandel, but trust me on this.  It's not white zin.  It is not cloyingly sweet.  It's dry, fresh, very crisp, and incredibly drinkable.  It's actually my favorite wine to drink throughout the summer.  So if you're a fellow rose' lover, I'm sure that you can imagine that combination of rose' wine with strawberries is pretty great.  

Sangria is my absolute favorite cocktail to make when we entertain.  It's ideally made ahead of time so you have no prep work to do when it's time to (drink) eat.  Just pour and enjoy.  Cinco de Mayo is just over a week away, so if you can't/don't do tequila (don't worry, I've been there), then this sangria is a great alternative to margaritas. 



Strawberry Rose' Sangria
adapted from The Cilatnropist
  • about 1 1/2 cupa sliced frozen peaches (or 2 peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced)
  • 3 cups hulled and quartered strawberries
  • 1/4-1/3 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you like your sangria and how sweet your strawberries already are)
  • juice of 2 lemons
  • 3/4 cup triple sec
  • 1/4 cup vodka
  • 1 bottle dry Rose' wine, chilled
  • 2 cups sparkling water, chilled
In a large pitcher, stir the fruit and sugar until the fruit starts to release it's natural juices.  Mix in the lemon juice, triple sec, and vodka.  Allow to sit (at room temperature) 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

When ready to serve, stir in the Rose' wine and sparkling water.  Serve each glass with some of the strawberries and peaches.


13 comments:

Alaina @ Fabtastic Eats said...

I love sangria! This one sounds great! I havent tried rose wine..but have been wanting too! Everytime I pick it up, I put it back down..slightly unsure..you may have just pushed me over the edge! I love the booze soaked fruit too!

Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar said...

Yum! This looks fabulous for ladies night. I must try this!

Laura said...

lol, that sounds like something I'd do. I think we just have naturally high expectations! I usually go with margs at Mexican restaurants.

This looks great. I still have your wine coolers on my list too! Looking forward to peach season.

Made in Sonoma said...

This is totally my type of drink. I'm definitely making it soon!

Fresh Living said...

Seeing that it's Friday night, what a perfect recipe!

Annie said...

Ummmmm yes.

Hezzi-D said...

Holy cow i need to make this tonight! Strawberries and peaches are my favorite fruits and I absolutely love sangria. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

Brianna said...

This looks like an incredible sangria. Next time we have friends over for a BBQ I'm going to make this!

Joanne said...

I cry over both good AND bad sangria, hormones or not. It just has so much potential! Why waste it on something from the supermarket. Your version sounds amazing! Definitely happy-tears-worthy.

Anonymous said...

I love that you can prepare this ahead of time--perfect for large parties :) And that post-pregnancy story was pretty funny! Definitely not at the time, but looking back now, I am sure you can laugh! :) ohhhh, hormones.

Ana L. said...

I made this last night for our Cinco de Mayo party and it was a hit! I love that I can make things from your blog for a party/guests without a test run because everything always turns out perfectly. Thank you!

Amy said...

I love sangria! And rose! So... Definitely going to try this!

bitesartfulfoodbasketspantry said...

Looks nice. I like the idea of using peaches!

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