Sangria

Sangria is such a memory drink for me. It was one of the first things I ever drank out: I went with my roommate freshman year to Little Italy for dinner. We had heard that they didn't really card at those restaurants, so we should be fine to order wine, but throughout the meal neither of us could quite get up the courage to ask for fear of being embarrassed. We kept going back and forth, should we or shouldn't we, when finally the waiter comes and gives us each a glass of sangria for free without asking for ID. It worked out, but how chicken were we?

But more than anything, I associate sangria with Sam & Lesley and Mexican restaurants. Sangria is a Spanish drink, but they serve it by the pitcher in quite a few New York Mexican restaurants and nothing goes better with anything than chips and salsa. I just think of walking around Gramercy in the spring of senior year looking for a spot to get sangria after seeing the cinematic masterpiece that is "Confessions of a Shopaholic." Being cut off by the waiter (in chips and salsa that is). Wine hangovers in the morning. I'm feeling a bit nostalgic for the city these days and this is the perfect drink to bring it out.

Here's to making more (hazy) memories this summer with sangria by my side:

1 bottle full-bodied red wine

2 ounces brandy

2 ounces simple syrup

sliced fruit

1 cup soda water/ginger ale/lemon-lime

-Stir ingredients in a pitcher with ice cubes and add soda just before serving (so it doesn't go flat).

Enjoy and bottoms up!

Mulled Wine

News flash: mulled wine is amazing! If you're throwing a holiday party, you should definitely make this! It is guaranteed to provide warm fuzzies.

Peel of 1/2 lemon, cut into curls

Peel of 1/2 orange, cut into curls

2 Tbs. sugar

1 tsp. ground allspice

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. ground cloves

3 cups boiling water

2 bottles full-bodied red wine (cabernet or bordeaux, for example)

2 ounces light rum

-Pour boiled water over peels, sugar, and spices and let simmer for 10 minutes. Heat wine until just before boiling and combine with spice mixture. Pour into punch bowl and add rum.

El and I drank this during game night and it added a sense of seasonal joy...even if it's still October. It resembles spiced apple cider, but stronger and...different? I can't describe it, so you'll just have to try it!

Enjoy and bottoms up!