Ring in 2012 With a Spanish Flair

To help me celebrate the New Year I decided to make some sangria. I fell in love with this fruity wine drink when I visited Barcelona, Spain in 2008. My dad has been asking me to test alcoholic drinks using the Marinade Express, and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try it out.

Myself in Barcelona, Spain

The Glorious Sagrada Familia

Ingredients for Citrus Sangria:

1 bottle of red wine 

2 oranges

1 lime

1 lemon

2 tbs sugar

1 shot whiskey

2 cups of Ginger Ale or club soda

Directions:

Cut the fruit into wedges or round slices. It is best to expose as much surface area of the fruit as possible.

Pour the entire bottle of wine into the Marinade Express drum. I bought a cheap bottle of dry red wine but a sweeter wine would work too. Add the sugar. Squeeze the oranges, lime, and lemon into the liquid, and drop the fruit into the mixture. Add the shot of whiskey.Generally sangria has rum or brandy in it but I had some whiskey on hand which worked fine.

Once the lid is in place draw the air out of the Marinade Express and set the timer for 10 minutes. Step back and watch as the wine stains the middle of the bright orange, green, and yellow fruit to a deep red. 

Remove the sangria from the Marinade Express into a pitcher. I used a ladle to transfer the fruit without splattering. 

Most recipes require the sangria to be chilled for 24 hours before drinking so that the fruit juices have had a chance to marinate in the wine. I chilled my sangria for 5 hours and it definitely had a wonderful juicy flavor. I put a little bit of the ginger ale in my glass before I drank it to add sparkle to the sangria. The Marinade Express helps to break up the juices in the fruits faster, eliminating the 24 hour marinating time in the refrigerator; the Marinade Express does exactly what we'd hoped it would. 

I rang in the New Year with a delicious drink. I admit, I had the prettiest drink at the party. I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year!