This time last year: Mexican Hot Chocolate (2013)
Friends, it is Day FOUR of “6 Drinks that aren’t Eggnog.” My how time flies. I hope you have been enjoying this series as much as I have!
(If you have no idea what I’m talking about, scroll through the last there days of posts, because this week is all about fun drink recipes! You don’t want to miss it!)
A few nights ago my family went to dinner with some family friends of ours. They were providing the entree, so we offered to bring a drink and some dessert as a contribution.
This is when having a food blog gets tricky.
Due to the fact that I am coooonstantly trying new recipes, and looking for new scrumptious dishes I can share with you all, anytime I have the opportunity to try out a new recipe on a crowd- I do! Crowds provide the best food blog feed back. You can tell if something is a total hit or if it’s not the most popular dish in the room. It’s like having a bunch of food blog guinea pigs, which is super helpful!
Despite this obvious benefit to me and my blogging efforts, constantly cooking new recipes for parties is a high-risk, high-reward way to live. Sometimes I find myself bringing new dishes to a social setting and being a little nervous about how they will go over!
Last night was one of those situations.
Although I do love sangria, I will admit this was my first time ever making it! Thus, as I stirred together these delicious ingredients I started to get anxious that it would be a bust- there would be too much fruit, or people would find it too sweet, or find the wine too bitter, etc.
I carried the pitcher into our friend’s home with lots of apologies and excuses that I had yet to try it, and it really might not be all that great! (Such a human move, am I right?)
However, to my delight, every member of the party drank a large glass with nothing but compliments! The fruit was the perfect amount, the wine was fresh and crisp, and the drink was a wonderfully festive fit.
For my first round of sangria, on a group of food-blog guinea pig testers, I got lucky. This recipe is delicious. It’s so easy to make, and was a total crowd pleaser!
Give it a try yourself! I am confident you will love it.
And make sure you come back tomorrow! More drink recipes on the way!
XO Sarah
- 1 granny smith apple, chopped into small bite-size pieces
- 1/2 red apple, chopped into small bite-size pieces
- 1 cup fresh/frozen cranberries
- 1-2 sprigs fresh Rosemary (+ sprigs for garnish- optional)1 bottle white whine
- 2 cups ginger ale
- 1 cup sparkling apple cider
- 1/3 cup sugar
- Add your apple slices and cranberries to a large pitcher.
- Bruise your rosemary to allow the flavors and juices to escape the leaves more. Do this by laying your rosemary on a cutting board, and using the backside of your knife blade, press down on the leaves. Add the sprigs to the pitcher.
- Pour in the wine and stir. (At this point, you can put the pitcher in the refrigerator, and allow the fruit to marinade in the wine, or if you’re impatient like I am, you can skip to the next step!)
- Add the ginger ale and sparkling cider, and stir well.
- Optional garnish: Dip a few rosemary leaves in the wine, and then roll in a thin layer of granulated sugar. Place one in each glass, drink, and enjoy!
- Serving recommendation: Best served chilled as an appetizer drink.
- Source: Picture the Recipe
- Like this recipe? Make sure you don’t miss this week’s other posts for “6 Holiday Drinks That Aren’t Eggnog” (Recipe links below photos):
