Your New Favorite Party Cocktail: The C D Red Sangria
Emily and I love to host a party for our friends. And when we do, I love to make a big batch of some delicious, shareable drink. There’s nothing like a pitcher or punch bowl full of something delicious and alcoholic to get the conversation flowing! Over the years, I’ve tried a number of different recipes of boozy fruit punch (made even better by using frozen strawberries to keep it cold) before I found my current favorite: our C D Red Sangria.
The concept of Sangria is simple. Slice up fruit, add an affordable wine, and then put it in the fridge so the flavors combine and get all sorts of delicious. Our favorite Sangria recipe adds in some extra deliciousness to take it to the next level. And what’s the biggest secret? Something I learned while drinking an incomparably deep, dark and rich Sangria at a Cuban restaurant in DC: some vanilla extract mellows out any sharp edges and makes the flavor deep and full.
Ingredients
C D Red Sangria (serves 4)- 1 bottle of a big, fruity red wine (a nice Washington Malbec will do nicely)
- 1 sliced red apple (a fuji or something similarly sweet and firm)
- 1 sliced lime (thin circular slices, not wedges)
- 1 orange, cut in half then sliced
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- ¼ cup Chambord
- ¼ cup Grand Marnier
- ¼ cup brandy
- ¼ cup agave nectar
- 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup ginger ale
Directions
Step 1: Put everything except the ginger ale into a large pitcher and stir until well mixed.
Step 2: Cover and put in the refrigerator for at least a couple hours. The longer it sits (up to 2 days), the better it is going to taste. Try not to rush it!
Step 3: Add the ginger ale immediately before serving. Give it a stir or two to mix but be gentle so the bubbles stick around!
Step 4: Serve in wine glasses with fruit slices as garnish. If you’re not feeling fancy, feel free to use red Solo cups and save yourself the extra dishwashing!
We’ve served this drink to dozens of our friends, and everyone loves it. Try it out for yourself. I bet that your friends and family will all agree that this is the best Sangria recipe around!