Too Many Lemons
Sangria is such a great summer drink. And it is really easy to make. I first tried sangria on a high school trip to Spain. (The drinking laws are different in Spain and we were permitted to have A single glass with a meal if our parents had signed permission.) Even then, I loved the citrusy red wine flavor. A few weeks ago, I experimented with a Summer White Wine Sangria. This week, I had an abundance of lemons left over from the Lemon Jelly. What’s a Semiconservative Granola Girl to do when she has too many lemons? Make lemonade? No, silly. She makes Citrus Red Sangria with lots of lemons, limes and oranges.
Citrus Red Sangria
For me, sangria always starts with a simple syrup. This recipe makes a big batch, so it calls for a full cup of citrus simple syrup: slices of lemon, lime and orange with sugar and water. In a small sauce pan, combine sugar, water, slices from a whole lemon and lime and half an orange. Bring to a boil and then let cook for 3-5 minutes to really allow the the essence of the citrus to get into the syrup.
Let the syrup cool for about 10 minutes. Then, in a 3 quart pitcher, add the syrup with the cooked citrus, a 3 liter bottle of cheap wine. I used Lake Country Red Table Wine (only $9.99 at our local liquor store). We live in the Finger Lakes, and it is important to me to use wine from local wineries. It you live in a wine country, I hope you will do the same. Top with the rest of the fruit.
Chill and enjoy Citrus Red Sangria with ice and a little club soda, if desired. Of course, this is something that gets better with time, but not too much time. We found that the second day was perfect. By the third or forth day, the sangria started to pick up some of the bitterness of the citrus pith (the white part between the peel and the fruit). If you plan to keep it longer than three days, remove the citrus fruit and it should be fine.
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- Slice the fruit by cutting just a sliver from each end and then slice into ¼ inch wheels.
- In a small sauce pan, add water, sugar, the slices from 1 lemon, 1 lime and half an orange. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Let the citrus syrup cool for 10-30 minutes.
- In a 3 quarter pitcher, add the syrup with cooked fruit, wine and additional fruit slices.
- Chill for 3 hours-overnight. Serve with ice and club soda if desired.
This was best the second day. The fruits had melded perfectly with the simple syrup and the wine. By the forth day, it had become a little bitter from the pith of the citrus. If you plan to keep it longer than 3 days, removed the fruit.
