Jersey Shore Sangria from Caridad Pineiro

Summer is my favorite time of year because I get to take some time off on the weekends and laze on the Jersey Shore. I pack up some great reads, usually the latest J.D. Robb IN DEATH BOOK, slather on the sun screen and settle in my beach chair for some reading and a nap! Afterward it's some wine and cheese before a stroll along the boardwalk. Lately the wine is in the form of a light and fruity Sangria that I'm going to share with you today. I hope you enjoy it.

Caridad’s Jersey Shore Sangria

Ingredients:

1 bottle red wine (a Malbec, Rioja, Cabernet or Pinot Noir will do. Maipe Malbec is great and sub $10 at Costco) 1/2 bottle Chilled Martinelli’s Sparkling Apple Cider (or any other sparkling cider) 2 oranges (peeled) 1 cup frozen strawberries 1/2 cup grapes

Directions:

Peel oranges. Cut into eighths and then cut the eighths in half. Cut grapes in half. Cut frozen strawberries in half.

Place fruit into a pitcher and add wine. Let fruit and wine macerate for at least 10 minutes in the refrigerator. If you can wait longer, the flavors will be better.

Add chilled sparkling cider to fruit and wine mixture.

Remove some fruit from this mix and place in individual glasses. Pour wine/cider mixture into the glass and serve.

What I like about this mix is that you get the extra fruitiness and sweetness with the addition of the cider and don’t have to add sugar to get that. It also cuts down on the alcohol content. For a stronger sangria, try using Prosecco (less than $10 a bottle).

Some recipes call for lemon in the mix and also don’t ask you to peel the citrus, but I find that the lemon and the peels make the mix too acidic. For a change of pace, cube some apples and toss them in or go tropical with some pineapple or mango and a change to a white wine.

Hope to see you Down the Shore someday.