Sangria

Occasionally it's nice to make drinks in a big pitcher and work on it over the course of an evening or weekend afternoon. It gives one the opportunity to relax and enjoy several rounds without having to constantly labor after each. I suppose there are several cocktails that lend themselves to be made in large quantities. On a couple of occasions, I've made mojitos that way. But there are certain drinks that especially lend themselves to being made by the batch. One of them is sangria.

The first time I've made sangria was a couple of years ago and I haven't made any since. This is one of those drinks that has an infinite number of incarnations. First, one has to decide whether to use red or white wine. Then decide which times of fruit to incorporate. Then decide which sweetening agent (if any) to add. It's really up to the mixologist to decide. I spent a fair bit of time researching several recipes to determine which one appealed to me and my tastes. I couldn't find the recipe I used a couple years ago but I found one that is similar. I'll link to it here but post it anyway.

Red Wine Sangria

adapted from allrecipes.com
-1 orange
-1 lemon-1 lime
-1 medium apple, sliced
-1 cup pitted cherries
-1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
-3/4 cup brandy
-1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry red wine
-1 (12 ounce) can lemon-lime soda to taste
-1 cup orange juice to taste

Slice the orange, lemon and lime into thin rounds. Place the citrus in a pitcher with the apples cherries and pineapple. Pour in the brandy and refrigerate for two hours or more. Chill the bottle of red wine, lemon-lime soda and orange juice at the same time.

Gently crush the fruits with a spoon, then stir in the red wine, lemon-lime soda and orange juice. Add additional brandy or orange juice to taste.

I've found that a dry red wine does complement the sweetness, but a wine with a bit of a spice helps as well. It gives the sangria a little complexity it might not otherwise have.

Part of me abhors this recipe for its use of lemon-lime soda, but there is a certain simplicity to its use that is appropriate to the spirit of the recipe. It's a simple way to incorporate the sweetness, citrus and effervescence into the drink and only using one ingredient. For such elegance, I'm willing to overlook its prepackaged nature.

I tried to put the cherries, apples and pineapple at the bottom of the pitcher while it was chilling so it would soak up more brandy. I figured I would be more likely to eat those things than the citrus.

I've been fortunate enough to attempt this recipe twice in the past week. I hadn't intended on it, but a whole pineapple produces much more than a cup; and I bought a big package of cherries. It would have been preferable if cherries were in season; they would have been fresher and cheaper. But in these less than ideal circumstances, I had to buy a big bag and it would have been a shame not to take advantage of this bounty. I found that cutting the apples and citrus thicker made it easier to work with the second time around. The thinly cut citrus tended to fall apart when stirred or transferred to a glass.

The nice part about this summer drink is that all the labor is done up front, which means that you're free to enjoy the sun and perhaps some pleasant company. My favorite part of mixing drinks and cocktails has always been the social aspect that comes with it. There is an aspect of fruit infusion involved which means that the garnish is taken care of by just pouring the fruit into the glass. All that's left for you to do is enjoy.

Commence the Infusion

I enjoy my liquor cabinet. Over the last couple of years, we've got it stocked to the point where we have most of the basic things that a bar ought to have. It's got your basic liquors: rum, tequila, vodka, gin, whisky. It's got mixers and liqueurs. It's got club soda and tonic water. I've got my angostura bitters; I try to keep my fridge stocked with ice, mint and fresh fruit. But there's one thing that I've done a few times that gives me a certain sense of pride and that is liquor infusion.

There are a lot of infusions that you can buy in a liquor store--Bacardi Limon, Absolut Citron, and so forth, but there is a certain sense of craftsmanship, accomplishment, and frugality to doing it yourself. I have a few mason jars that I got at the supermarket that I use for this. First I get a big old handle (1.75 L) of vodka. I usually go with something middle of the road like Smirnoff or Skyy; I would hesitate to use something of a higher quality like Absolut or Grey Goose because the infusion is going to mask its purity. Why pay more for a flavor you're just going to tamper with? Heather disagrees with that point but perhaps her palate is more discerning than mine.

After the Vodka is procured, I get whatever fruit I want to work with and put it in the mason jar with the vodka. If it's berries, I just leave them whole and let them sit for a week; if it's pineapple, I cut it into chunks and let them sit for a week and a half; if it's citrus, I slice it and let it sit for four days. After it infuses, take the fruit out and it's ready to go. There are some people more daring than myself who will infuse herbs and spices and a growing number of people who enjoy bacon infused vodka. There really is nothing more American than taking something unique to another culture, like vodka, and adding bacon to it. I suppose for people who dislike the blood thinning properties of alcohol, this is a perfect way to negate it with cholesterol. I don't feel comfortable doing that particular infusion myself but if I come across it, I'll try it. I'm always looking for new blog fodder.

I suppose part of the appeal of infusion is taking something very basic like vodka--by definition a neutral spirit--and adding a personal flair. The same principle applies to any liquor but I've stuck with vodka. I've infused vodka with strawberries, lemons, and pineapple, but the one that serves us best is raspberry. Heather has enjoyed my patented raspberry/lemon cosmos on more than a few occasions. They're delicious and have the added distinction of being unique in its core spirit.

A goal of mine is to be able to brew my own beer but finances really limit that one for right now. I would also love to be able to distill my own liquor, but my landlord tells me I need some sort of permit to keep several bathtubs of alcohol in the basement. I've just about had it with this guy's excuses. I think the next step is buying one of those giant jugs with a spigot on the bottom so I can throw a party and impress people with it. For now I'll have to be satisfied with only impressing myself.