This is a nod to my old blog which got blown away by stupidity. I'm reigniting my Quest for the Best: Sangria because my good friend asked me for a good recipe. I gave her 4. I should have at LEAST been able to give her 2. On that note, here is the post that started it all...
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So this past weekend was Memorial Day. There are usually ample opportunities to enjoy a nice cold beverage with friends and loved ones. As you know, I decided on Sunday that I was going on a Quest for the Best (QftB) Sangria. I had 8 recipes appear in my Inbox...either via link or specific recipe. I was pointed to others as comments to the same question posted on other people's status updates. And then...I failed. I decided that I'd wait until Monday to go get all the stuff I'd need to craft a truly fine representation of any of these recipes.
This was a big mistake for more than one reason. First, almost every single recipe recommends that you soak the
PC: Averie Sunshine
fruit overnight, in whatever liquid they are recommending for the recipe. This means, that by the time I perused all the recipes on Monday morning, I was already 12 hours behind. Then I thought, well, some of these say soak for a couple hours...the longer the better. This translated into, if I can get everything into the pitcher by 1pm, we can have a reasonable sangria by 3pm. Alright, I was willing to work with that. Which brings me to my second reason this was a big mistake. Massachusetts blue laws prevent liquor stores from opening on Memorial Day. Which was Monday.
So, we headed to our scheduled cookout with no sangria and no beer. We had only food. Not that food is bad. I love food. And anywhere I bring food, people are happy to see me.
Needless to say, I was unable to make and test the first of 8 recipes.
This weekend, however, I have some lead time. It is only Wednesday. The choice now is...do I go for a white wine sangria, or a red wine sangria?
Using the random number generator, I have selected the following recipe: Peach Mango Pineapple White Sangria from Averie Cooks. This entry was given to me by my friend Veronica. By coincidence, her friend posted, almost simultaneous to when I requested recipes, that she made this recipe. Her friend doubled the recipe, used Barefoot Pinot Grigio, Splenda instead of sugar, and frozen peaches instead of frozen mango. Based on where I am heading this weekend, doubling the recipe is definitely in order. I'll see what type of Pinot Grigio I can find, because I'll admit...I'm a fan of Pinot Grigio. And I will follow the recipe. The only thing I'm noticing is that there is no seltzer or ginger ale. This is not a deal breaker, just something I noticed. As many other recipes I've seen online include a seltzer or ginger ale. Maybe I'll have some flavored seltzer on hand...just in case.
This will be consumed on Saturday. I will let you know how it goes, if it is any good, how it is received by the crowd.
Sangria #1 was a white wine sangria. It included peach schnapps, mango and pineapple. You can find the recipe over at Averie Cooks. This recipe had fantastic flavor. I put everything together, on Friday night, around midnight. I combined all the ingredients together as per the recipe, with the following changes. I used a full cup of each mango and pineapple.
They soaked for a good eighteen (18) hours. When I served it up for myself, I poured it over ice, and then added some seltzer. First taste: flavor was good, but it seemed weak. And I *think* it was because I added too much seltzer. I say this because with my second glass, I poured a lot more into it, and added much less seltzer. Still, it was delicious. And I would definitely make it again. The only thing I have to compare it to is whatever I've ordered in restaurants.
My next recipe choice was submitted to me by Dawn Marie. It is a Red Wine Sangria, which begs the question...by comparing red wine sangria with white wine sangria, am I effectively comparing apples to oranges?
Ok peoples. I am on a search for the best sangria recipe. Over the next few weeks I would like to evaluate several different recipes. Please INBOX them to me. I would like to know the origin of the recipe (Ancient Chinese Secret? Family favorite?) and how much you like it, and why (some people like them sweeter...some not so sweet, etc.). As I try each one, I will blog about it, and then, I will have a wrap-up, with my reviews. Please, and thank you.
