Allison Cafe

Apr
20
2009

Sangria Roja – Frank’s Recipe

Sangria Roja

As a young college student I had several retail and food service jobs; but the most memorable, and the one that had the most influence on my life, was as a sales associate at Market to Market, a Spanish and Portuguese ceramic import business. One of the owners, Frank, was originally from Cuba and had the best Sangria recipe I had ever tasted. I greatly treasure not only the beautiful ceramic Sangria pitcher I have from my Market to Market days, but also this fantastic recipe, which got great reviews at our recent Spanish Dinner Party. I hope I did you proud Frank, I guess I must have because people loved it! Here is the recipe, please enjoy responsibly!

Sangria Roja

Ingredients

1 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 cup Contreau or Triple Sec

1 bottle of Cabernet ( I used Pepperwood Cabernet, only $6/bottle at Vons and tasty!)

Sprite

Fresh Fruit: Peaches, Pears, Apples, Green Grapes

Preparation

Sangria Roja

It is best if Sangria is prepared about 8-12 hours before serving, allowing the fruit and all flavors to blend.

Base recipe: which should be made ahead of time (or if your stove dies like mine did the day before the party, substitute store bought simple syrup and add the Triple Sec). Any unused base can be stored in the fridge for approx. 4 weeks. The base recipe can be doubled, tripled, etc. depending on how many servings you need. Bring the water, sugar and cinnamon stick to a boil. Continue boiling until a light syrup forms. Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature. Add the Triple Sec or cointreau to base. Stir to blend. Refrigerate.

Ingredients

In a large container pour desired amount of Cabernet. Add small amounts of base mixture until desired sweetness is obtained. Add peeled and cubed apples, peaches and pears. Cut green grapes in half lengthwise and add. Note: peeled oranges can be used in limited amounts. Generally citrus fruits are avoided due to acidity. Let mixture stand 8 hours.

Just before serving add enough Sprite or similar beverage to add sparkle. ENJOY! Salud!