Blood Orange Sangria!
Have you ever tried a blood orange? Their skin is thick and orange with variegated deep red tones. To cut into them, the flesh is a deep raspberry color with flavor a combination of an orange, raspberry and strawberry, without the usual acidity of a typical orange. Blood oranges are delicious and guess what? They’re in season right now, through the month of March.
I’ve seen quite a few blog posts lately with blood oranges as the main ingredient, but when I came across Jessica’s post for Blood Orange Sangria, I knew I had to try it.
For the most part I don’t enjoy sangria, primarily because most are made with red wine. The tannins in red wine gives me a headache and stuffy nose. However, white wine doesn’t have the same affect on me, and Jessica’s sangria is made with white wine.
After reviewing her recipe I decided to make a few edits to suit my taste. Jessica’s called for brandy and club soda, I chose to use Framboise a raspberry flavored liqueur, with lemon lime soda and simple syrup. What can I say – sangria is an alcoholic punch, so I prefer mine to be sweet. Not too sweet, but just right!
Since this past weekend was relatively mild in the Midwest and my family was coming for Sunday night dinner, I thought I’d whip up the Blood Orange Sangria. I made it on Saturday with plenty of time to infuse, and be ready to drink Sunday evening. Everyone thought it was delicious!
Below is my Blood Orange Sangria version with the link to Jessica’s version – if you prefer your sangria not as sweet.
Blood Orange Sangria
Ingredients:
- 6 blood oranges
- 2 (750 ML) bottles of Pinot Grigio
- 1 cup lemon lime soda
Simple Syrup:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup Framboise (raspberry liqueur)
- 12 ounces of strawberries, sliced
- 1 pint of raspberries
- 1 apple, chopped
- 1/2 cup sugar, for glass rimming
Directions:
- Simple Syrup: Combine 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil then simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Set aside until simple syrup gets to room temperature.
- Zest one blood orange and combine with sugar in a small bowl. Rub sugar and zest together with your fingers or a fork until fragrant.
- Juice four blood oranges, discarding any seeds or pith. Slice remaining blood oranges into 1/4 inch slices.
- In a large pitcher, combine wine, Framboise, blood orange juice, apples, strawberries, raspberries and sliced blood oranges. Stir well to combine. Place in refrigerator overnight.
- Just before serving add lemon lime soda and simple syrup. Stir well to combine.
- Place the orange sugar on a plate, then run a lemon, lime or orange slice around rim of each glass. Dip each glass in orange/sugar, coating well.
- To Serve: Fill glasses with sangria, being sure to include some fruit into each glass . Garnish with a Blood Orange Slice.
Enjoy!!!