December is a time for catching up with family and friends, it is the long-awaited opportunity for finally taking a break after 11 (and a half) months of madness!
The only thing I can’t deal with (except for mall parking lots) is the blazing summer heat! We barely survived a heat wave here in Gauteng, and it is pretty much guaranteed at there are more on the way. And yes, I realise that it is summer, we have to deal with it for a couple of months every year! No use being a brat about it.
My way of dealing with the summer heat normally involves chilled bubbly or wine, gallons of gin and tonic and some boozy popsicles. All the things normally even better when shared with friends!
What is also fantastic to share with friends? Sangria!
Sangria (as if you didn’t know) is a Spanish style punch, traditionally made with red wine and fruit. When you read a bit more about it, it seems as if it is a kind of an ‘anything goes’ mixed drink. You can add soda water, lemonade, brandy, spices, the only limit is your imagination. There are also zero mixology skills involved, so it is super quick and easy to make!
So I decided that I will make a white wine sangria! We are VERY far removed from any dreams of a white Christmas, but who said we can’t sip something that resembles it? Add some splashes of green and red to the mix, and you’ve got a refreshing summer sipper that can be enjoyed by the jug full!
Christmas Sangria
Mix together in a large jug:
150g pomegranate seeds
2 chopped Granny Smith Apples
2 sprigs rosemary
500ml lemonade (depending on personal taste, you can add some sugar syrup or use a sweeter wine like Moscato if you want it a bit sweeter)
500ml cranberry/cherry juice (I used Pure Joy lite)
1 bottle Robertson Winery Chapel Dry White blend (chenin/colombard)
1 bottle Robertson Winery Robertson Sparkling Brut
Plus LOTS of ice!
That is it! You can leave the drink mix (without adding the Sparkling Wine otherwise it will lose the fizz) to ‘rest’ a bit in the fridge for the flavours to develop, but it is actually ready-to-sip as is!