Coffee, wine and dark chocolate. These are the things that make me a very happy girl. However, it’s not always on to binge on these treats in the pressing heat of South Africa’s summer. So, what to do? Coffee becomes “Latte on the Rocks,” dark chocolate becomes an ice-cream sauce, and wine? Well, wine becomes sangria of course.
The Recipe
I worked from a recipe I found on the Minimalist Baker, and stuck to it, with a slight few changes-mainly because oranges are expensive, and I forgot to buy apples. So, I ditched the apples for berries, oranges for clementines, brandy for rum, and a dry red for a sweeter red. I also used my own homemade simple syrup instead of sugar.
P.s. Yes, I used one of my mum’s vases as a jug. We didn’t have a big enough jug for the recipe, and if Courtney Cox can use a vase for a wine, then I can use a vase for my Sangria.
Ingredients
- 750ml Cupcake wine from Kirabo Private Cellar
- 80ml Rum
- 4 Tbsp Simple Syrup – homemade sugar syrup (but you can just use brown sugar)
- 250g Raspberries – I found it in my mum’s fridge.
- 2-3 Clementines – sliced into smaller pieces. I kept the rind on.
- 180ml Orange juice – Woolies has a great special on these fruit juices at the moment.
The Steps
- I muddled the raspberries, clementines & simple syrup (or brown sugar) together for a few seconds.
- Added the juice and rum, then muddled some more.
- Added the wine. I poured in the whole bottle, because why not? However, it’s up to you and your taste how much you want to add. You can also add a bit more rum or juice to suit your taste. So, once you are happy with the taste, you can cool it down and enjoy your very own homemade sangria.
- Ideally, you can just add ice to chill. However, I’m not a big ice fan, so I preferred to chill my sangria in the fridge. I also found that the flavours fused better after a few hours in the fridge. So, where most enjoy their sangria immediately, I recommend to let it chill in the fridge for a few hours.
I found this specific combination of ingredients made a good sangria for me – Wine was still the primary taste on my taste buds, but fruity ingredients made it light and enjoyable for these summer days.
This beverage would likely pair well with the current book I’m reading: Tchaikovksy’s The Bear and the Serpent, where the main girl’s travels has lead her from the freezing North to the warm and sunny South. This is the sequel to The Tiger and the Wolf.
There you have it, how I de-winter my favourite drink for a hot summer day.
My simple syrup recipe is also up on the blog. It’s really straightforward and, well, simple.
