Sangdori: Summer Cocktail Week 13 (Amie & Bonnie)

Sangdori

While I was in San Diego last week, Bonnie began brewing-up a concoction we've been looking forward to all summer: Secret Ingredient Sangria.  Bonnie's artistic nature melded with her inner mixologist this week when she not only committed to choosing a beautiful bounty of fresh fruits, but also declined temptation to look at any formal Sangria recipes.  "I knew the usual additions to the wine, besides the fruit, are Grand Marnier and brandy, but I decided to branch out and select what ingredients I could find in Amie's liquor cabinet."

Not surprisingly, she was able to find a myriad of options and eventually chose Triple Sec, a duo of bitters and an unsuspecting but quite worthy secret ingredient.  Originally we had thought to use Emergen-C, the vitamin supplement antioxidant mix (which, btw, is a perfect way to add fruity flavor to vodka in you're low-carbing).  However, once Bonnie started digging into the recesses of the resident bottles, "a beautiful green bottle of Midori surged forth and the recipe burst across my field of vision like the loveliest pattern of fireworks!"

Ingredients:
1.25 bottles Red Wine (we've been really loving a 2008 California Zin/Merlot/Cab blend, Menage a Trois.  It delivers a fresh, ripe, jam-like fruity character with strawberry undertones and a spicy backbone which served as a perfect base for our brew)
1 cup Brandy
1/2 cup Midori Melon Liquor
1/4 cup Triple Sec
1 Orange
1 Pear, peeled
1 pint Fresh Raspberries
1 pint Fresh Blackberries
1 splashy dash of Orange Bitters
1-2 drops of Lemon Bitters

Combine ingredients in a large glass bowl and chill.  We sampled after 3 days and found it to be so delicious that we supplemented the remaining brew to make the batch last all week.  By Saturday it had truly come into its flowering of flavors!  I had no idea Sangria could be so refreshing and was surprised at how smoothly the fruit absorbs the wine (as opposed to infusions that often drain the fruit of all flavor).  I'm not sure there's a bad fruit choice for Sangria, but Bonnie's method sure worked: "I chose berries and oranges but the pear called out to me as if wanting to be part of the group.  And I'm so glad, because not only does it add to the flavor, once it absorbs the wine, it tricks your friends into thinking you added beets!"  There you have it.  Sangdori...Refreshingly Delicious and Fun!