Listen to Lena

Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion

Sunday Afternoon Sangria

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You know how the Bible says, Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged? Ahem, yesterday, I learned that I should never judge teenagers who attend high school dances, get drunk, and then claim they had no idea the punch was spiked.

Let me rewind. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a good friend’s baby shower. There’s just something about a round, perfectly beautiful baby bump that makes me incredibly happy I’m not pregnant.

(Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled for the pregnant ladies! I’d just rather eat the contents of a garbage truck than have another kid myself. #nothanks)

Anyhoo, as I reconnected with old friends and chatted about this and that, we helped ourselves to a glass of punch. Curiously, the punch had a slightly acidic quality that we just couldn’t pinpoint, but nonetheless helped ourselves to another glass. And another.

“What kind of punch is this?” I asked my friend Miss V.
“No clue, it’s pretty good, though,” she responded.
“It sort of tastes like prune juice and ginger ale, but it’s quite delish,” I countered.

By the third glass, mid-sentence, suddenly a light went off. Holy Sh*t, I’m buzzed. And then it dawned on me – we were drinking sangria! Fellow shower attendee Miss A pointed out that only a lush wouldn’t be able to detect wine in a beverage. (Ahem – she couldn’t either; after drinking her first glass, she okay’ed the beverage for consumption by children! Oops.)

And so I spent the rest of the shower with a grin on my face and concentrated on not dropping my fork. (In a smart move, we all switched to bottled water in a hurry.) Hence, while I used to scoff at teen flicks where the main characters got toasted at the high school dance, I now realize that even the most responsible of party goers can be fooled by a spiked punch bowl. Lest ye be judged, indeed.

To honour my pregnant friend and her delicious Sunday Afternoon Sangria, I’d like to share one of the LCBO’s most popular recipes – a delicious wine punch that is best enjoyed with friends. Salud!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup brandy
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate
1/3 cup orange juice
1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry red wine
1/2 cup triple sec
1 lemon, sliced into rounds
1 orange, sliced into rounds
1 lime, sliced into rounds
1/4 cup white sugar
1 cup pitted Bing cherries
1 cup diced green apple
2 cups club soda (optional)

DIRECTIONS

In a large pitcher or bowl, mix together brandy, lemon juice, lemonade concentrate, orange juice, red wine, triple sec, and sugar. Float slices of lemon, orange and lime in the mixture. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor. Just before serving, add cherries and green apple. For a fizzy sangria, also add club soda.

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Comments

  1. Perfectly timed, we’re celebrating my sister’s bridal shower in two weeks! I will use this recipe, and let the guests know that the punch is spiked!

    • Hahaha it’s the one thing I really missed – wine, and sangria, of course. You’ll have to make up for it when the baby is here!

  3. Mmm sounds delish! Too bad I’m preggo..will have to wait until next year once I can pump my breast milk to try it out! :)

    • It is! Love adding fresh fruit to sangria – it adds such a nice tart/sweet complement to the wine!

  5. You had me @ “Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled for the pregnant ladies! I’d just rather eat the contents of a garbage truck than have another kid myself.” LOL! soooo true Lena :D

  7. What a fun post Lena! I always laugh when I read what you have written. I love your humour! A very funny tale that has to be shared!

  8. What an amusing story!! Sounds like you had a blast. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a baby shower where they served alcohol…I’d like it if they did!

    • Right? Best baby shower ever, hahaha! I suppose that’s why I didn’t cotton on to it right away; I wasn’t expecting it to have alcohol because it was a baby shower. Still, it has my vote!

    • I don’t think I have either…it is usually tea or coffee…but I like the sound of this one so much better!!

  9. What a story! The recipe sounds delish, but since I’m allergic to apples and cherries, I will have to pass. I wonder if there are substitutes?

    • Of course! You can substitute by doing a berry sangria (strawberries, blueberries and raspberries) or a peach sangria (perfect in the summer!). Enjoy!

  10. Spend a month in Spain, and have loved Sangria ever since! Thanks for the recipe, my husband and I will have to try it soon! Love the cherries in it!

    • Me too, cherries are my favourite fruit :) Super jealous that you spent a month in Spain – sounds wonderful!

  12. LOL sorry. I keep envisioning all these women sitting around smashed and trying to appear not smashed.

    • LOL! Well it wasn’t exactly like that – but only because I think the three of us finished the punch on our own :)

  14. I like drinks that don’t taste like alcohol, I have never had a Sangria, I think I may have to try one.

  15. believe it or not i haven t had a drink in 5 years. my oldest will be 4 in April and i stopped drinking before we started trying for him. now I’m nursing my 7 month old (and i don’t want to pump)… to be honest i haven’t missed it. but i do have mocktales once in a while lol.

    • I gave up alcohol for about 3 years too because like you said, sometimes it’s just not worth the hassle, especially when you’re breastfeeding. But I did miss my wine!

  16. Sangria goes to my head very fast as well. Yummy though. Unfortunate the host didn’t put up a “this has booze” sign in front of the drink bar – you never know who is secretly preggers (or a quick drunk like me).

  18. I tried yesterday…can you say yum, yum! with a grin like chocolate suckle
    that is smooth sangria down the throat

  24. The first time I tried Sangria, my daughter made it for a summer bbq. We used a local Honey Mead, called Bodacious Black Current, and the only fruit she added was citrus. Wow, was it good. I started to look up recipes and there are as many as there are kinds of fruit!

    • You’re right Inez, there are tons of recipes for sangria. The good news? Most of them are delish!!

  27. I don’t really drink Sangria but after reading the ingredients I’m thinking I need to give it a shot.