So I went to Spain at the end of April and walked the last part of the Camino from Sarria to Santiago de Compestella. I'll write about that one of these days. (In the meantime you can see my photos)
I had a lot of good cheap wine. And Sangria. I used to think Sangria was like punch and sweet wine that I hate. Oh no. Real Sangria is really good. So I made my own when I came back. With stuff I like.
Note. I do not add soda water or soda pop to my Sangria. They don't do that in Spain either. Nor do I put soda in my Bourbon Old Fashioned. If I wanted pop I would order pop.
Red Wine Sangria
1 orange, sliced
1 lime, sliced
1/2 apple, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
1 TBL sugar
2 shots Bourbon
1 shot raspberry liqueur
1 bottle Merlot
Couple shakes of Orange Bitters
Citrus Tequila Sangria
Juice of 1 half pink grapefruit
Juice of 2 limes
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 orange
2 slices pink grapefruit
1/2 orange sliced
2 limes, sliced
1/2 lemon sliced
1/2 cup simple syrup
2 TBL sugar
2 shots tequila
1 bottle Moscato
couple shakes Orange Bitters
Let these soak up the fruit flavors in the fridge for a few hours before serving.
Server over ice. I'm a red wine person but that Citrus Sangria with the grapefruit is really good too. Packs a punch.
I was watching the Kitchen on the Food Channel and I was intrigued by one of the ingredients for a cocktail - AllSpice Liquor.
Turns out this is a Jamaican thing.
Not real easy to find around here but pretty easy to make.
You need whole allspice berries. Crushed into big pieces but not ground fine. I put mine in the coffee grinder because I don't mind a little allspice in my coffee.
- 1 Cup Rum
- 1/4 cup crushed allspice berries
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 1 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar simple syrup (Boil 1 1/2 Cup water & 1 1/2 Cup brown sugar until it dissolves - about 10 minutes)
Pour rum over crushed allspice berries in a mason jar with a tight lid. Shake well and leave for five days, shaking every day. On the fifth day, break up the cinnamon stick and add it. Keep shaking mixture every day.
After two weeks or so, strain the mixture through a fine mesh, then strain again through coffee filter. Add the brown sugar syrup. Shake and let that sit a couple days.
Then what to do with it?
Well there's my Snowy Day Warm Spicey Bourbon Cocktail:
- 1 oz bourbon
- 1 oz Allspice Liquor
- 1/2 Cup Boiling Water with 1 Tbl brown Sugar
- 1 tsp molasses
- Dash of apple pie spice
- Dash orange bitters
