After a punishing August, I’m ready for September. September in DC is when we leave behind the swampy humidity and sweltering heat of summer and, very briefly, move into the most perfect weather DC ever gets. Warm but not hot, dry, breezy, cool at night. Perfect for Sangria, a summer-to-fall drink that I can never get enough of. When Nole proposed we spend a month on Sangria, I was sold pretty quickly. We’ve made some pretty traditional Sangrias before, like this stone fruit and red wine Sangria. So, this time, we went a little outside my normal comfort zone to try out a white wine Sangria recipe, one flavored with some south-of-the-border ingredients that give this one a nice kick. –Andrew
White Wine Sangria Recipe
1 750 ml bottle Spanish White Wine
8 oz Silver Tequila
4 oz Lime Juice
4 oz Ginger Syrup
2 oz Pineapple Syrup
Watermelon
Nectarines
Mango
Combine the wine, Tequila, lime juice, ginger syrup, and pineapple syrup in a pitcher. Add diced watermelon, nectarines, and mango to taste, about a cup each but more if that floats your boat. Let everything sit overnight so the flavors meld together. Serve over ice and garnish with fresh mango and watermelon. Enjoy!
We used a silver Tequila to fortify our Sangria, in place of the traditional brandy, which lends this Sangria an earthy, vegetal quality that you don’t usually find in Sangria. The wine and the Tequila play off each other in interesting ways; Nole said she tasted rosemary, which we definitely didn’t add.
The Sangria is a bit tart, from the lime, with some funky interplay between the ginger and pineapple syrups. Tequila, ginger, and pineapple are a trio that do some wonderful things together; cocktails with the three of them can evoke candied fruit, as in a fruitcake, and are perfect for the winter holidays (not a time of year when most people think of Tequila). It’s a bit drier and tarter than we’re used to in our Sangrias, but it passes muster with Nole, and she has a notorious sweet tooth, so we’re probably in a good place here.
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Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper