Early Summer White Sangria

Makes about 12 glasses
Total price: NY $6.76/NY $7.35
Price per serving: NY $0.56/NY $0.61


This past weekend we had some of that back-of-your-neck-feeling-dirty-and-gritty summer weather that New York is famous for. Sangria, particularly this lighter white wine iteration, is just the thing to both cool down and take the edge off the concrete heat. Plus, what other alcoholic beverage comes equipped with a snack?*


Sangria is also a delicious, summery way to stretch a bottle of wine without being a “spritzer” (ugh) or a “cooler” (double ugh). Personally, I think the best part is fishing out the boozy macerated hunks of fruit bobbing about in the beverage. All the more reason to make this at home: you might not feel like you can dig the tasty chunks out with your fingers in a restaurant or bar, but there’s no reason not to in your house or on a picnic. (Go ahead, slurp away and suck off the juices off your fingers while you’re at it!) When you compare the $6 a glass that this will run you in a restaurant with the around 50 cents a glass that this cost us, we're guessing that you'll become home-brewing sangria converts too. And I bet you weren't getting berries or peaches in that restaurant glass, now were you?


Ingredients

• 1 lime (NY $0.17)
• 1 lemon (NY $0.25)
• 1 orange (NY $0.34)
• 2 ripe peaches (NY $1.01)
• 1 pint strawberries (NY $2.00)
• 3 tablespoons sugar (staple)
• 3 shots Cointreau or other orange liqueur (staple)
• 1 bottle dry white wine (NY $2.99)**
• Seltzer (staple*** or NY $0.59)

Directions

Slice the citrus fruits into thin wedges, dice the peaches, and cut the strawberries into quarters lengthwise. Combine in a pitcher or jug with sugar and orange liqueur. Pour over bottle of wine, and chill over night or for several hours. When ready to serve, pour into glasses, spoon in some of the fruit, and top off with seltzer.**** If its blazingly hot out, toss in an ice cube.



Adapted from Rachael Ray, 30 Minute Meals

* Do tell if you can think of any: I really want to know! I don’t consider a maraschino cherry or lime wedge to constitute a “snack”. And no bottom of the bottle worms either, got it? A snack is something one would *want* to eat.

** We used a Two Buck Chuck here. You don’t have to go quite that low, but really its not worth using a pricey bottle of wine in a sangria, what with all the citrus fruits and other stuff you’re tossing in with it. There is a time and place for nice wine, but really this isn’t it.


*** This is a staple for us, as we make our own with one of these. Yes, that is an incredibly pricey gizmo used to make something that is quite inexpensive from the store. It’s not for everyone. But we’re pretty much seltzer addicts over here, and worry about the environmental impact of all those plastic bottles. This way we can guzzle as much seltzer as we like with worrying about the cost or the landfills. And, its shaped like a penguin. If you can resist that, you are a stronger person than I.

**** Since we took this out on a noontime picnic, we ended up using quite a bit of seltzer per glass because, as the LBUH put it, “We’re not having *that* kind of picnic!” Oh, FINE. Sigh.


Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving

Calories 81.4	Vitamin A 2.1 %	Iron 2.4 %
Total Fat 0.2 g	Vitamin B-12 0.0 %	Magnesium 3.2 %
Cholesterol 0.0 mg	Vitamin B-6 2.4 %	Manganese 19.1 %
Sodium 4.0 mg	Vitamin C 53.5 %	Niacin 1.5 %
Potassium 164.7 mg	Vitamin D 0.0 %	Phosphorus 2.0 %
Total Carbohydrate 9.6 g	Vitamin E 0.9 %	Riboflavin 2.2 %
Fiber 1.8 g	Calcium 2.2 %	Selenium 0.7 %
Sugars 1.8 g	Copper 3.5 %	Thiamin 1.8 %
Protein 0.6 g	Folate 2.4 %	Zinc 0.8 %