Drinking in the Spring
Down in the capitol of our neighboring state, New Mexico, I’m happy eating New Mexico Enchiladas everyday, every meal.
On this trip, my friends were happy to drink Sangria every day, every happy hour out in the perfect dry New Mexico spring weather under our friends apricot tree. So, let’s share Sangria secrets.
The first version was made by my friend Sandy who sliced fruit (oranges, strawberries, lemons and limes) into a big travel container and poured a bottle of red wine over it. Added a few tablespoons of Grand Mariner. Then we drove 6 hours from Breckenridge to Santa Fe, while the brew stewed.
That afternoon, we mixing it in the glass, with about a 1/4 of a glass of sparkling water. It was fruity and strong, but not too sweet which was just perfect with crackers and cheese.
The second day, my friend Rae mixed another batch according to a secret recipe given to her by the chef at Relish, one of the nicest restaurants in Breckenridge. The fortified liquor she used was brandy, and she added the fruit: kiwi, strawberries, oranges just before serving.
The wine was both red and white, and she did make the simple syrup. Because the fruit wasn’t soaking, we were able to enjoy this sangria on the third day as well.
SANGRIA:
1 bottle red wine
1/2 bottle Pinot Grigio
1/2 cup Cranberry Juice
1 cup orange juice
1 cup Brandy
3/4 cup Triple Sec
3/4 cup Simple Syrup
The first one is a Sangria I suggest for cooler weather (and fruits available then) and that was what the weather looked like at 9,600 ft. in Colorado when we left. The other was perfect for the 75 degree afternoons in Santa Fe, and the fresh kiwi, oranges and strawberries were fresh and nice to eat, but with less kick than the purple pear slices we had the first day.