Discovering Rosé Sangría

As summer fades each year, we like to look back on all the rosés we sampled during the season and choose a Rosé of the Year.  This year, however, our favorite rosé experience was not a particular bottle — it was discovering and making rosé sangría.  Talk about a crowd pleaser!  

We are sangría fans to begin with and for family gatherings or other parties have become partial to Cruz Garcia Real Sangría (Red) from Spain.  But red wine — even sangría — is not quite the thing for the summer season, and hence the rising popularity in the US of dry rosé, which is a summertime staple anywhere in the Med. 

Looking for something refreshing to serve at a fish taco fest back in June, I found inspiration from celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse (and am big enough to admit it).  This is not a recipe to be followed strictly — what you need is fresh citrus juice, simple syrup, sparkling water (which adds some nice zest but isn’t crucial) and a bottle of DRY rosé.  There should be $12 bottles of rosé galore at your local wine store, and if in doubt as to whether it will be dry, just get something French.  Mix and enjoy.  Salud!

— DPK

Rosé Sangría

Recipe by Emeril Lagasse, adapted by David P. Kunstle

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle chilled dry rosé
• 4 medium to large oranges
• a couple of limes
• one large lemon or a couple of small ones
• simple syrup to taste (mix 1/3 c. sugar — I’m spoiled with fine granulated baker’s sugar in our pantry which dissolves beautifully, but standard sugar will work just fine too — into 1/3 c. of hot water until dissolved)
• 1/3 bottle (250 ml) chilled San Pellegrino or other sparkling water

Preparation:

1. Juice oranges, limes and lemons and pour into serving pitcher.  
2. Add bottle of rosé (and, if you like, 1/3 large bottle of sparkling water). 
3. Add simple syrup to taste (sometimes I use the entire 1/3 cup, sometimes less, depending on the sweetness of the fruit juice). 
4. Serve in wine goblets over ice and garnish with orange, lemon and/or lime slices and a sprig of mint.