Joe's Sangria

My Dad likes to pretend that he is Spanish. But, no. As my sister kindly reminds him, "we are Mexican, the Spaniards conquered our people."

During the hot summer months, my Dad will usually spend an afternoon or two whipping up some sangria (insert accent here) as a refreshing drink to help us deal with the heat.

For the recent paella party, he made like four gallons and by the end of the night, it was gone!

I have to say, over time he's really perfected this recipe and his sangria is pretty darn good. Below is what he's scribbled down in his notebook, with his side-comments included.

Enjoy!

Joe's Sangria

Makes 1 gallon (4 quarts) of Sangria

Mix the following together in a large pitcher. Let it sit and serve after a few hours/days.

1 bottle red wine (If you go cheap, it will taste cheap. Try a $10-15 dollar mixed red wine. The better the wine, the better your sangria.)

1 liter of lemon-line soda

1 apple, cored (Preferable Golden Delicious)

1 small lime, sliced

2 oranges, sliced

8oz of orange juice (Look for the OJ in the small cartons)

½ cup of brandy

½ cup triple sec

½ cup orange liquor (In Spanish it’s called “Licor de Naranaja”)

Up to ½ cup of sugar (If you are drinking the sangria that day or the following, you’ll probably need the ½ cup. But, if you let the sangria ferment over a few days, you probably won’t need the sugar at all. Make sure to do a taste test to make sure the sweetness level suits your taste).

1 tray of ice cubes to chill the sangria