2011 Halloween Party -- Sangria

"Sangria" in Spanish means blood. Yes, BLOOD. Therefore in Halloween Party, I can't think of any other party drink that suit the theme the best other than Sangria. For those of my friends whom have drunk it, you should know that you were one of the vampires that night ^_< 

I chose Paisano this time. As a result, I don't think it is as good as last time. I didn't keep a record as I made Sangria for the home party last time. When I tried to retrieve my memory, I think I chose Rose instead of Paisano. I think another reason that the wine wasn't as tasty as last time was because Tommy accidentally threw away the pineapple juice that suppose to mix in the drink. Arggg... Not blaming him but still thinking those juice might make the drink taste a little bit better... Hehe! 

If you are interested in making this for your party drink, you can consider Cabernet, Merlot, Rose or Zinfandel as your wine choice. I browse a couple of websites for Sangria recipe and then decided to mix it on my own. I didn't really have the detail or exact recipe for the drink but do it by own sense.

Here are part of the ingredients to mix in the drink. Ignore the Bacardi Rum in the middle. I didn't include any in the drink but Tommy insisted include this bottle in the picture.

(Recipe from Stacy Slinkard)

I modify the recipe according to the memory of having a fantastic Sangria from a Thanksgiving Party on 2009 at my friend's house. 

Ingredients:

• 1 Bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Rioja, Zinfandel, Shiraz) As you can tell, I use way more than 1 regular bottle of wine.
• 1 Lemon cut into wedges
• 1 Orange cut into wedges
• 1 Lime cut into wedges
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• Splash of orange juice or lemonade I use OJ
• 2 Shots of gin or triple sec (optional) I use Triple Sec
• 1 Cup of raspberries or strawberries (may use thawed or frozen)
• 1 Small can of diced pineapples (with juice)
• 4 Cups ginger ale I didn't put as much but probably just 1 cup

** I also added apples and peaches to add more fruit flavor into wine.

 

Preparation:

Pour wine into a large pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon, orange and lime into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and pineapple then add sugar, orange juice and gin. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale, berries and ice (I didn't put any ice) just before serving. If you'd like to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over lots of ice. However, remember that the best Sangrias are chilled around 24 hours in the frig. - allowing the flavors to really marinate into each other.