Tuscan Sangria

The Washington Post, June 11, 2008

• • Course: Beverage
• • Features: Fast

Summary:

Sangria is too often a mix of cheap wine and liquor, made for heavy party drinking. This recipe takes sangria in a more sophisticated and balanced direction, delivering a range of flavors by the glass. There are no big hunks of cut-up fruit; it uses a reasonably priced sangiovese wine along with citrus-vanilla Tuaca, bitter Punt e Mes, sweet limoncello and fresh citrus juices.

A note about bottle volume: In testing this recipe, we found that the 750-ml bottle contained more than 3 1/8 cups. Use the entire contents of the bottle.

12 servings

Ingredients:

• • 1 750-ml bottle (3 to 3 1/2 cups) Tuscan red wine, preferably Sangiovese
• • 3 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
• • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• • 3/4 cup Tuaca (a citrus-vanilla liqueur)
• • 1/3 cup Punt e Mes (an Italian vermouth)
• • 1/2 cup limoncello
• • 1/4 cup sugar, preferably superfine (for easier dissolving)
• • Ice
• • Orange slices, for garnish
• • Cinnamon sticks, for garnish
• • Club soda or sparkling water (optional)

Directions:

Combine the red wine, citrus juices, Tuaca, Punt e Mes, limoncello and sugar in a large (at least 2-quart) pitcher; stir well. Pour into individual wine glasses that have been half-filled with ice. Garnish each glass with an orange slice and a cinnamon stick. If desired, top each serving with a splash of club soda or sparkling water.

Recipe Source:

Created by Duggan McDonnell at Cantina Bebidas in San Francisco.

176 calories, n/a fat, n/a saturated fat, n/a cholesterol, 8mg sodium, 18g carbohydrates, n/a dietary fiber, n/a sugar, 1g protein.