Sunday, July 4, 2010

Sangria

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'm an observer by nature. As we travel, I love to watch new parents caring for their infants and young people caught in the first flush of love. Custom and tradition differ from one country to another but the tenderness they share is unmistakable and knows no borders. We had a whirlwind day today. Chance placed us in disparate spots where we watched two very different types of weddings. One was a homemade affair, held beneath a bower in a public rose garden. The other was far more grand, held in wine country at the King Estate. Both brides were lovely and the tenderness in the eyes of their new husbands was unmistakable. I would be hard pressed to say which bride will have the most pleasant memories of the day. The tonier wedding had food that you are all familiar with. The simpler feast was a truly homemade affair. The bride made her own cake and the sandwiches which were served to her guests. The groom whipped up the brew just before the ceremony began. They obviously had me in their camp the moment they said "I do." As I watched him make a punch that looked surprisingly like sangria, I knew exactly what would accompany our dinner tonight. Sangria is a wine punch that comes from Spain. I've made this sangria for better than forty years and it is, without a doubt, my favorite version of this wonderful summer drink. The original recipe belongs to Dione Lucas. She was the first woman to graduate from Le Cordon Blue and was a respected chef and restaurateur. She predated Julia Child on television, but lacked Julia's camera presence and thus was history writ. She was a marvelous cook and wrote many terrific cookbooks, one of which I still use today. I must warn you that this sangria is like a rum drink. It really packs a punch and gangs up on the unsuspecting very quickly. It is very easy to make. Here's the recipe.

Sangria
...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Dione Lucas

Ingredients:
1 large lemon, sliced
1 large naval orange, sliced
1/2 cup Cognac or good brandy
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups soda water
1 bottle (fifth) Rioja or other dry Spanish red wine

Directions:

1) Place lemon and orange slices in a large pitcher. Add brandy and sugar. Sitr well with a wooden spoon. Let mixture stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
2) Just before serving, add wine and lemon juice. Stir well. Add ice cubes and soda water. Stir contents well, adding more ice cubes if necessary to chill sangria. Yield: 2 quarts.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Limoncello - One Perfect Bite
Cranberry Cocktail - One Perfect Bite
Iced Watermelon Drinks - One Perfect Bite
Sangria - Foodista
White Sangria - Delish
Basil Sangria - YumSugar

51 comments :

Lynne (lynnesgiftsfromtheheart) said...

This sounds soooo delicious!! Thanks for the recipe.. Happy 4th of July! hugs ~lynne~

CinnamonChoc said...

happy 4th of July, Mary :) good day~

Martha said...

Ah, Sangria and summer!

SKIP TO MALOU said...

I love your stories! I would imagine I'm there with you as I was reading it, enjoying a glass of this sangria.

Cheers!
Malou

Tami said...

Looks so refreshing!

Thanks for stopping by my blog to say "hi"!

I'm inviting you to join the Cookie Carnival on my blog!
http://tamiskitchentabletalk.blogspot.com/2010/02/welcome-to-cookie-carnivals-new-home.html

Tami

Monet said...

I agree, your stories are such a pleasure to read. I would love to share a glass of sangria with you...you could entertain me all evening!

Baking is my Zen...sweet nibbles for the soul said...

Sangria is a great drink...and yes, it gangs up on you if you're not careful...

Happy 4th Mary! Cheers!

Carmen

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Happy July 4th Mary. I wish that Sangria could be in all of our celebrations.

giorno26 ¸¸.•*¨*•. said...

Wow !
In estate è la mia bevanda rinfrescante preferita !
La faccio sempre !!!
Buonissima.... buona giornata :-)))

The Words Crafter said...

What a lovely story! This is such a simple recipe for a summer drink, thanks. Happy fourth!

Red Nomad OZ said...

Sangria holds happy memories for me - it was the drink du jour at almost ANY Mexican restaurant in Australia in the 80's and 90's! Come to think of it ... it's a wonder I CAN recall it, given it's 'punch' properties!

Cherine said...

Sangria, my favorite summer drink!
Happy 4th of July, Mary!

Jamie said...

Oh Mary, this is lovely and had me back at my own, simple, homemade wedding... lovely. And the sangria is perfect! Happy 4th of July, dear friend.

Ana Powell said...

Happy 4th July.
Really one of my favourite drinks, I even love the Sangría Blanca ♥

Diane said...

Wonderful stuff:) I have to say I am very lazy. A 2 litre bottle is so cheap here and I prefer to drink my cognac neat!!! Diane

Rita said...

You brought back wonderful memeories of our holiday in Spain; your photo is wow!
Rita

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

I love Sangria - I like the way the wine blends with the citrusy flavors. A perfect summer beverage! Happy July 4, Mary!

Lynn said...

Sounds perfect for a nice hot 4th of July! Happy 4th!

Angie's Recipes said...

A cool drink for this hot weekend!

Allie and Pattie said...

Perfect Mary! Thank you and Happy 4th. May both couples forever keep and share that love!
xoxo Pattie

My Little Space said...

Happy Independence Day, Mary! Perfect drink for the day. Have a wonderful weekend.
Blessings, Kristy
p/s how wonderful your grandchildren going to come over soon. It must be so exciting!

FOODESSA said...

Sangria gets made a few times in accompanyment with my father-in-laws homemade wine...ohhh yes...we are spoiled indeed! For some reason I'll never make the Sangria the same way...I do love to experiment. That will include a try at yours too ;o)
Have a great day and by all means...go easy on the booze;o)
Flavourful wishes, Claudia

Anonymous said...

That looks like a very authentic recipe! I don't drink alcohol so my version has red grape juice and lemonade (sorry!) in amongst other things, so I guess it can't really be called sangría...but it tastes good anyhow!

Happy 4th July Mary x

PeggyR said...

I love Sangria! Happy 4th of July!

Sushma Mallya said...

wow thats really beautiful..love its name,so unique..

♥Sugar♥Plum♥Fairy♥ said...

The recipe sounds delicious, but more loveable are the cutee stories u write, what happens d day and the beautiful narration!!!
Happy 4th of July weekend!!

Keeley said...

Happy 4th of July! We love sangria in my family and I use a similar recipe that includes Triple Sec and I omit the additional sugar. It's also great topped with sparkling wine. Perfect summertime drink!

What's next said...

I LOVE sangria, I can hardly wait to try this version!

Zurin said...

Good for a hot summer day Im sure! beautiful colour.

Pondside said...

Our daughter and her boyfriend came over on Wednesday night and made dinner for us - barbecued salmon, roasted corn, cheese risotto and artichokes. It was a feast! They made sangria,and the leftover fruit is sitting in the fridge, in the dregs of the wine, perfect over ice cream!

Priya Suresh said...

Very refreshing sangria..

The Chef In My Head said...

Packs a punch is right!! Great recipe, I'm hanging on to this one for sure. ~LeslieMichele

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

This was so lovely to read, Mary. All weddings are so beautiful aren't they? I enjoyed learning that interesting information about Dione Lucas.

I like Sangria! It is such a refreshing drink on a hot day.

Happy 4th of July!

Unknown said...

It sure does sneak up on you, I love Sangria~! Love a white version too.

Sweet Southern Prep said...

Had some on Friday at a friend's. I'll have to try your recipe the next time I have company. Hope you have a great 4th! :)

Create. Snap. Eat. said...

What a lovely narration :-) I just might try this one!

Ashley said...

Thanks for your comment on my blog! I'm so glad you did because it allowed me to find your blog - which is fabulous from what I've seen and read so far!

And I actually just tried Sangria two days ago for the first time. It was store bought, but still good. I bet your recipe is even better though!

Vegetarian Yogini said...

What a beautiful article- yes, I could do with a bit more kick from time to time! Waiting for the baby to wean!

Reeni said...

The sangria sounds positively delicious! There's something charming about a bride who makes her own cake and sandwiches - with lots of love, I'm sure. Happy 4th!

Unknown said...

Thanks for this wonderful recipe, have to try this one this summer:)

Tracy F. said...

I love Sangria! It's one of my favorite summer drinks. This recipe is a "keeper"!

Kerstin said...

Mmm, I wish I was enjoying a glass of this right now! Sangria is sneaky with that brandy in it :)

Salsa Verde said...

I love Sangria. We had it yesterday for dinner...
Fantastic story, as always!!
Cheers,
Lia.

Claudia said...

Sangria is so summery and one must remember, "I am drinking alcohol" as one sips and then gulps! The wedding story is so lovely. I hope it was just the most perfect day for both of them - to savor - forever and a day.

Glennis said...

Goodness, Mary, we must be on the same wavelength!!

I had two bottles of Two Buck Chuck merlot that someone brought to a potluck party a few months ago, and although I didn't want to drink them straight, I hated the idea of tossing them out.

So for the 4th of July picnic-potluck we attended in Malibu, I made a big jug of sangria. I had a couple of lemons, a couple of blood oranges, and some limes in the fruit bowl, plus a box of Farmer's Market strawberries.

I used cognac like you did, and also added some Cointreau. Instead of sugar I just went half-and-half with soda water and ginger ale.

It was a big hit and perfect for our fireworks watching evening!

Deb in Hawaii said...

I love a good sangria--it's worth the punch it packs! It's the perfect drink for summer.

nancy at good food matters said...

It is, indeed, the time of year when Sangria is well enjoyed---we just served a big batch this past weekend for a family birthday party. My recipe is similar, but also has some Triple Sec in it.

Nice reflections on the concurrent weddings.

Karen said...

I love Sangria in the summer, and it always looks so pretty!

Julie said...

I love sangria! This looks delicious and has such beautiful color.

Nisha said...

Best for summer

Young Adventures... said...

Mary this sounds very good! I will make sure to put this on my to make list this summer. I hope your weekend is going well.

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