The Perfect Sangria

So, what do you do with all the leftover red wine you have after a party? Okay, okay, some of you may not have leftover wine after a party, but what if you buy a bottle of wine and it's really bad, what do you do then? Well, my friend, have I got the recipe for you. Sangria.

Sangria is a blood-red color beverage, usually served chilled. Its name literally means "blood" in Spanish. This fruity concoction is made with red wine, fruit juices, soda water, fruit and brandy or cognac.

We had a lot of leftover wine and fruits after Thanksgiving and we used up all these ingredients by making sangria. The recipe is easy, however you do have to wait at least 18 to 24 hours before you can drink it. The key to this recipe is letting the sangria chill overnight for the flavors to develop.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Rioja)
• 1 Cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup brandy or cognac
• 1 short cinnamon stick
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Apple, diced
• 1 Orange cut into thin slices, set 4 slices aside
• 1 Lemon, halved
• Ginger ale or club soda, optional

PREPARATION:

In a 2 qt. sauce pan, heat up the orange juice on medium-high heat. Add the cinnamon stick, sugar, four of the thinly sliced oranges and the brandy or cognac. Simmer for a few minutes until sugar dissolves.

In a large pitcher, pour the wine in and add the diced apple, the remaining orange slices and squeeze the juice of one lemon. Add the brandy-orange mixture to the wine and stir to combine. Chill overnight. I chilled mine outside in the snow! When ready to serve, add ice into your glasses, pour sangria and add some of the fruit. Top it off with ginger ale or club soda if you prefer.

Please drink responsively. As you can see in the background my brother-in-law, Michael, who had a bit too much sangria to drink!