Summer Sangria Swizzle

It’s Saturday! It’s so close to summer I can taste it, and it’s supposed to be close to 80 degrees here this weekend, which is huge for us in the Pacific Northwest during the first week of June. I feel in my bones that we are going to have a gorgeous summer and I can’t wait for all that this sunshiny season has to bring.

Long, lazy, warm days, the smell of suntan lotion, working in the garden, hours spent reading, playing at the beach, swimming. And food and drinks, of course. I can’t promise you great weather, but I can promise you here at Lemons & Roses it’s going to be a summer full of fun and deliciousness. Steak with Bérnaise, strawberries and cream, wine spritzers, grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with all sorts of mouthwatering goodies, gin and tonics, popsicles, homemade ice cream. Let me just say that again, homemade ice cream. 

Let’s start this summer, or almost summer, off with a-little-bit-sweet-and-citrusy cocktail, sangria!

What I love about sangria is all the different versions and ways you can make it. They even have sangria mixes you can buy and all you have to do is add wine and fruit. I bought Greg the amazingly fabulous book, Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails, with More than 500 Recipes for Christmas. This book is so much more than a recipe book of cocktails. It’s the story of the bar, Death & Co. located in the East Village in NYC; it’s full of stories and warmth, and, yes, cocktail recipes, and if I ever get to New York City, it’s on my list of places to go.  Of course being the cocktail guru that he is, Greg’s already tried many of the recipes and made them his own. My favorite so far is his take on the Sangria Swizzle.

Rye whiskey, Cointreau, a cheap red table wine, lime juice, simple syrup and bitters. (Have I mentioned my obsession with bitters? We’ll get to that later this summer too.) The most expensive ingredient in this sangria is the Cointreau, but a little goes a long way. We’ve made it with Grand Marnier (also expensive) but I bet you could use Triple Sec in place of the Cointreau. We use a cheap rye, Wild Turkey, and an even cheaper, deliciously fruity, red wine, Rex Goliath Free Range Red. Sangria really lends itself to fruity red wines, so don’t waste your expensive, earthy 2012 Pinot Noir in your sangria.

I’m including the recipe for one cocktail; you can also make a pitcher, but be careful, it might bite ya!

Enjoy your weekend, enjoy the weather, enjoy your family and friends and cheers to a wonderful summer ahead!

Summer Sangria Swizzle

2015-06-06 10:31:29

Serves 1

A fun take on the classic, wine, brandy, fruit cocktail from Spain and Portugal.

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Prep Time

10 min

Prep Time

10 min

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 ounce rye whiskey
2. 1 ounce red wine
3. 3/4 ounce Cointreau
4. 3/4 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice, or juice from half a lime
5. 1/4 ounce simple syrup
6. 3 dashes orange bitters
7. 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
8. lime wheel for garnish

Instructions

1. Place glass in freezer to chill.
2. Add rye, wine, Cointreau, lime juice, simple syrup, orange and Peychaud's bitters to cocktail shaker and dry shake (no ice).
3. Rub rim of chilled glass with lime wheel and add to glass.
4. Add crushed ice or ice cubes to glass.
5. Pour mix into glass and enjoy!

Notes

1. You can just stir the ingredients in the glass, but the dry shake gives it the swizzle quality.
2. Be sure to use a fruity red wine like a fruity Malbec, Garnacha or Tempranillo. The Rex Goliath Free Range Red is just right.

By Greg Ohlin

Adapted from Death & Co.: Modern Classic Cocktails with More than 500 Recipes

Adapted from Death & Co.: Modern Classic Cocktails with More than 500 Recipes

Lemons & Roses https://www.lemonsandroses.com/