It’s About That Time – Minted White Sangria

Well, it would appear that the entire Mid-Atlantic region has once again fast forwarded completely through the Spring. Not 6 weeks ago we had two feet of snow on the ground, and this past week our temperatures hit a high of 90 degrees fahrenheit. What the hell.

I’m hoping the past two weeks have been the result of a serious heat wave and we may just get a few more glimpses of Spring before the ungodly heat has settled in for good. It definitely got a lot cooler today. I’m trying to be optimistic here, please play along.

This weekend, at least, is anticipated to be sunny and breezy with a high of 65 F. Perfect outdoor weather. And I am fortunate enough to have two great “hanging-outs” planned – we’ll be entertaining some close friends, none other than Ali from Three Baking Sheets to the Wind and her Dude (with a capital D – he’s pretty significant in her life at this point). And in addition, I’ll be getting together with my family to celebrate my father’s birthday, as well as my own. Extra Bonus! My brother Sean, who lives on the other side of the world in Hawai’i, happens to be in town for a conference and will be able to join us for the festivities.

So it’s shaping up to be a beautiful weekend with beautiful weather to be shared with beautiful friends and family. What could possibly make it better?

How about some beautiful cocktails?

I can’t even remember the first time I ever had sangria, for me it feels like I’ve been a fan my whole life. It’s just always been there for me. It’s kind of like Slurpees as a kid… you go through the whole cold, dark winter without ever even remembering they exist – and then once it starts to get hot again you think, “My god, how could I possibly get by without the aid of this lovely perfect thirst quencher?”

Sangria is great because it’s so versatile. You can make it with pretty much any kind of wine, and any kind of fruit, and any kind of liquor. Some combinations will go better than others, of course, but really the only limit here is your imagination. In the many years that I’ve been making sangria, I’ve picked up a few tricks along the way.

Prep time: About 20 minutes
Chill time: Overnight
Serves: Well… that’s really up to you, isn’t it?

For this minted white sangria, you will need…

- 3 bottles of white table wine (you can get something fruity but avoid anything too sweet)
- 1/2 cup of vodka
- 1/4 cup of triple sec
- 1/4 of sugar
- 2-3 cinnamon sticks
- peach nectar
- fresh mint
- strawberries
- lemons
- oranges
- club soda

Again, you can kind of use whatever fruits you have available to you here. Definitely go for local and seasonal if you can. I’m cheating a little cause most of these fruits came in from Florida – April is too early for this stuff to be harvested here. I did at least only use fruits delivered from my CSA – they go south for the end of their winter share and bring things up from a small sustainable farm they work with down there.

I do, however, have a mint plant that is growing like wild in my kitchen right now, so this is the perfect excuse for me to trim it back just a smidge.

As far as the liquor goes, you don’t have to use vodka. You can use brandy, or rum, or tequila, or whatever. There will be differences in the outcome, of course, but they will all work pretty well. If you use a sweet wine, go easy on the sugar or you’ll get a massive hangover. If you use particularly dry wines, adjust sugar accordingly.

For this batch I’m actually using a flavored vodka that I made back in the Fall of 2008 by steeping fresh peaches and mint leaves in vodka for a couple months (you really only have to do it for a few weeks but, well.. I forgot about it). The vodka itself tastes great neat but works even better for cocktails. You can use plain vodka of course, or one of the artificially flavored ones from the store as well. Just choose your flavors wisely.

First step – pour the nectar into some ice cube trays and put in a freezer. You will use these for ice when serving. It’s such a simple little trick but it has a tendency to blow people’s minds. And if you want to get even fancier, put a couple mint leaves here and there in the cubes.

Next, heat 1 cup of water in a small pot with cinnamon sticks, sugar, and 3-4 large sprigs of mint. While heating, use a wooden spoon to stir and crush/bruise the mint up as much as possible. Do not boil but keep on medium heat simmer for about 5 minutes or so, until sugar dissolves and water just begins reduction.

While heating the water mixture, slice up your fruits into bite size pieces. The lemons are going to be used just for juice and zesting, so set them aside. They can be dealt with before serving.

Pour all the wine, vodka, triple sec into a large container. Add fruits. Take water mixture off the stove, strain it and toss the cinnamon and mint away, and pour into container.

Cover container and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to serve, zest the lemon into a bowl, chop into slices, and set aside. Pour sangria into a glass, and add a few of your peach cubes into it. Squeeze one slice of lemon into the sangria and rim the glass. Splash club soda for a little bubble, and garnish with lemon zest and a fresh mint sprig.

Your sangria is ready, and the summertime has arrived (if perhaps a bit early).

Do you have any favorite sangria tips or tricks?

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