And what does one serve at a party? Sangria, of course!

My mom brought this recipe down from St. Louis. A popular restaurant in their area serves this sangria, and posted the recipe in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

It involves wine, vodka, and cinnamon. The women in my family aren’t stupid; of course we tried it.

Sangria

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of red wine
• 1 1/4 C. citrus vodka
• 1 1/4 C. sweetened lime juice
• 1 1/4 C. reduced simple syrup
• 1 c. orange juice
• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
• 1 apple, cut up
• 1 orange, sliced
• 1 lime, sliced

Step 1: Pour all the good stuff (wine, vodka, o.j., lime juice, and cinnamon) into a large pitcher.

Step 2: pour equal parts water and sugar (1 1/2 C. of each) into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes to reduce. Don’t let the syrup turn brown as it’s cooking.

Step 3: Let the syrup cool, then pour it into the pitcher. Mix it all together thoroughly.

Step 4: Cut up all the fruit and put it in the pitcher, reserving some of the orange and/or lime for garnish.

Step 5: Drink and enjoy!

Note: Next time I make this I will be leaving out the orange juice. While it was tasty, I would have liked to taste the alcohol a little bit; instead I tasted mostly orange juice. Try it the way it’s written first and judge for yourself (keep in mind that I am not an o.j.-with-alcohol kind of person. I don’t love a screwdriver).

The Wife