Everyone ever spend a holiday in Spain will know this drink; Sangria. Usually the Spanish make it with (cheap) red wine, together with fresh fruit, ice cubes and a dash of cognac. In this version we change the cheap Spanish red wine for a good quality red sparkling wine from South Africa. And we change the cognac for limoncello, which creates a much lighter, fruitier end result. I used the red sparkling wine from Solms Delta, the Cape Jazz Sparkling Shiraz for it. This is the ideal drink during a friends or family weekend lunch or braai. Perfect for the festive season, weddings, dinner and birthday parties.
Ingredients for a jar (serves 6-8 people)
200 ml Limoncello
750 ml (a bottle) of red sparkling wine, for example a bottle of the Solms Delta Cape Jazz Sparkling Shiraz*
1 orange, 1 grapefruit, 1 or 2 green apples, 1 lemon
ice cubes
optional: other seasonal fruit just as strawberries, raspberries, plums…
*You can replace the bottle of red bubbly for a white MCC or Prosecco, if desired. Even a ‘still’ bottle of red or white will do, although the bubbly will give the Limoncello Sangria the extra ‘touch’
Method
Cut the fruit in slices or cubes. If you prefer to also eat the fruit in your drink, use smaller pieces than if you just use the fruit for adding flavour to your sangria.
Poor the limoncello together with your red sparkling wine in a jug, add the fruit and lots of ice cubes. Stir well with a long spoon, poor in glasses and… Cheers!
Variation tip:
If you prefer to make a ‘blond’ Sangria, change the red sparkling wine for a white sparkling wine, for example a nice but not too expensive MCC.
If you find the sangria not sweet enough, add either some (brown) sugar, or, add some fresh orange juice
