For the Love of Cooking {Your Lips Taste Like Sangria}

When things start to heat up in North Carolina you will find one of two cocktails

in my hand, the classic G + T or a fruity red Sangria!

Considering the temps have been reaching into the upper 90's I think it's 

high time I started mixin' up a sangria or two! 

I usually keep it fairly simple and mix 1 bottle of red, 1/2 cup of sugar, 

1 cup of Brandy (sometime a little extra just for kicks), a splash of Orange Juice, and 

 whatever fruit I might have on hand that day.  But, this summer I think I might

need to bring my mixology up a notch.  Here are 3 variations I'm going to give a try.

Do I have any volunteers for taste testing?

The first recipe is a white sangria curiosity of Harper's Bazaar

Peach, Strawberry, and Basil Sangria

What You'll Need 

1 bottle chilled Cava or Prosecco ( I prefer Prosecco)

4 oz Cointreau
1 cup sliced strawberries
1-2 peaches sliced
1 cup (250ml) chilled sparkling water
A few sprigs of basil leaves + lavender
Ice
Pour your sparkling wine into a pitcher, add your Cointreau, 

fruit and basil. Just before serving add sparkling water, stir and add ice as needed

Next up we have the Blueberry Pomegranate Sangria from 

Stephanie of Eat.Drink.Love

 What You'll Need 

1 (750 ml) bottle red wine (go a little sweeter if possible)
2 cups pomegranate juice
1/2 cup blueberry vodka
1/2 cup triple sec
2 cups lemon lime soda
simple syrup, to taste (optional)
1-2 medium apples, cored and diced into bite-size pieces
1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries (can also use thawed frozen if needed)
Fresh mint (for garnish)
Add the apples and blueberries to a pitcher. Then pour in the wine, pomegranate juice, 

vodka, triple sec, and the lemon lime soda. Stir together. Add simple syrup to taste. 

Chill for about 2 hours before serving.


Last,  I turn to the one we all adore, the creative genius Martha Stewart.

Raspberry Mango Sangria

  What You'll Need 

1 mango, peeled, pitted, flesh thinly sliced lengthwise 

1 cup raspberries 

3 tablespoons raspberry liqueur 

1 bottle (750 ml) rose wine 

4 cups (32 ounces) chilled lemon-lime soda 

Ice

In a pitcher or large bowl, combine mango, raspberries, raspberry liqueur, 

and rose wine. Stir to combine and refrigerate 1 hour (or up to overnight).

To serve, add lemon-lime soda and ice.

Who's thirsty?!