Are Sangrias not fantastic? It’s a neat twist on something typical you have around. And for those of us who live in places where a liquor store in not close by (I miss California!), they are made with easy-to-obtain ingredients. So, for the second week in a row I have made a wine-based drink. I’ll get you some liquor next Thursday, I promise.
One of my favorite ways to do Sangria is with a white wine. I know! After being so accustomed to red-wine Sangrias, this obvious twist is easily forgotten. Plus, something about white wine makes it acceptable to drink before 5. Before noon, even. I like to think of it as a lunch drink.
So, what I made this week was a white wine sangria for the fall.
What you need
What you will need:
- 2 bottles of dry white wine
- An Apple
- A pear
- Cinnamon
Similarly to this post floating around Pinterest, I have capitalized on the lovely fall produce. Here in Eugene, we pretty much had apples and pears falling into every yard in the neighborhood until very recently. Tonight I’m using fruit I already had on hand. I can’t remember the apple variety, but it’s an asian pear. If I were to do this again, I think I would use a different pear variety. For wine, 2 Buck Chuck. (Which cost me 2.50. For shame.) Grad student life. You will need two bottles of wine to fill the pitcher. Because I’m single (read: sad and alone), I’m using only one.
How to make:
Pour the entire bottle of wine into a pitcher. Slice the apples and pears as thinly as you have patience for. My patience wanes before too long. However, you do want to slice them thinly because it creates more surface area. Math–I know, right? Sprinkle a couple of pinches of cinnamon across the slices then throw the slices into the pitcher. Cover the pitcher and place it in the fridge, leaving it overnight. Serve cold. If you want to add a garnish, a slice each of pear or apple is easily added to the glass. Alternatively (and $ly) you could add a cinnamon stick. However, I think it works just as well without garnish.
So, when I made this, it didn’t come out as flavorful as the traditional berry and red wine Sangrias often do. The flavor is a lot more subtle and a lot less cocktail-y, especially since many white wines (including Chardonnay) already have notes of apple and pear in them. Look at me, trying to use fancy wine lingo. Is that allowed with 2 buck Chuck? I’m declaring it allowed. That being said, I really like this, especially after the very long Thursday I’ve had. This was something nice to come home to.
Fall Sangria
Next week, I’ll start busting out the hard liquor.
