Archive for the ‘Stacy Finz’ tag
Holiday Cocktails: Cornucopia Sangria
Thanksgiving dinner was a family affair this year. My sister provided delicious experimental cheeses, my cousin threw down with me in the kitchen, and my boyfriend kept a stiff upper lip while my relations teased him about – well –everything. It was a tough crowd, and we needed a cocktail that would pair well with food, football, and anger management.
I settled on Cornucopia Sangria, a cocktail recently published in the San Francisco Chronicle. Written by Stacy Finz, this great article suggests holiday cocktails for every imaginable occasion. (Except maybe hating the holidays, which, I guess, is what whiskey and a dark room are for.)
Adapted from “Peterson’s Holiday Helper,” by Valerie Peterson, the Cornucopia calls for chopped whole cranberries, oranges, apples, and red Rioja (a deeply colored, medium bodied Spanish wine with hints of berry). Macerate (which is a fancy way of saying marinate) the chopped fruit in triple sec for a bit, and then stir the Rioja and sparkling cider into the mix.
Cocktail notes:
*Add the sparkling cider slowly, and to taste. Depending on the quality and flavor of the Rioja you are using, too much sparkling cider can dilute the flavors of the wine.
*Let the mixture sit for a while, the flavor becomes richer over time.
*Although, not traditionally part of a sangria recipe, for a cocktail with a little more body (and a lot more kick) try mixing in a touch of vodka — we added a little Grey Goose. By the time dinner rolled around the turkey was a little on the dry side, but we weren’t.
This sangria is great for groups, daytime sipping, and helping you through holiday duties like present wrapping, cookie baking, and the hauling out of ornaments (or fighting about the hauling out of ornaments). Whatever happens in your house.
For the full SF Gate article on holiday cocktails, including the Cornucopia Sangria recipe, click here.
