Don't be scared by the bladders of wine. Boxed wine is not the devil, it's not terrible or disgusting or the worst wine you've ever had. It's probably not the best wine you've ever had either but for Sangria, it will do just fine. By the time you add in all the other stuff, as long as the wine's not horrific, it doesn't really matter.
For this party, we had two alcoholic drink options, Sangria & Beer. Not only are these two perfect for an outdoor, summery gathering, they also make serving easy. People can serve themselves and I don't have to worry about having a variety of liquors and mixers on hand.
As far as I'm concerned, the key to Sangria is the fruit. The fruit must soak for a couple of hours and you must eat the fruit. This fruit tastes like bourbon. That is a good thing.
I'm also of the opinion that Sangria should not be too sweet. I've had a lot of Sangrias that just taste like alcoholic fruit juice which is a bad thing. It's bad because by the time you finish a glass you're practically in a sugar coma and you don't want to drink anymore of it. A drink that makes you want to stop at just one is not the drink for me.
This Sangria is pretty perfect. It's strong (thanks to the bourbon), not too sweet and you can drink it for hours. I certainly did.
Bourbon Sangria
A lot - cut it in half for a regular party
Ingredients
2 boxes of Red Wine (or 8 bottles) - I used Black Box Shiraz
1 bottle of Bourbon (4 cups)
4 cups Orange Juice
1 1/3 cups Orange Liqueur
1 cup Simple Syrup (or more if you want it a bit sweeter)
2 pints Strawberries, halved
3 Oranges, sliced into half moons
4 Apples, cored and sliced into half moons
Ice for serving
Instructions
In a beverage dispenser or several large pitchers, mix together the wine, bourbon, orange juice, orange liqueur and simple syrup. Add the sliced fruit, refrigerate and let soak for at least 2 hours.
Serve over ice with several pieces of soaked fruit for garnish.
Enjoy!
Julie
