Historically, I have never really been a fan of Sangria. If I take an honest look back at why this was the case for so many years, the reason probably had to do with the fact that every time I went to try a glass, it always tended to taste like a big boozy sugary fruit cup (yuck!).
Over the weekend it occurred to me that National Sauvignon Blanc Day and Cinco De Mayo were right around the corner, which naturally had me thinking about ways to celebrate. Naturally this got me thinking about the obvious elephant in the room (Wine Holiday + Cinco De Mayo = Sangria), so I decided to try my hand at concocting a new sangria recipe that was more suited to my palette (ie. not too sweet and very flavorful).
The result? An absolutely delicious Sangria recipe that I am beyond thrilled to share with you all today. I found the starfruit, kiwi berries and lime leaves at my local Whole Foods. However, if you can't find kiwi berries, regular kiwis (peeled and sliced) will work just fine. Here is how I went about making this revamped Cinco de Mayo cocktail staple-
Ingredients
- One Bottle Sauvignon Blanc (I recommend Napa Cellars)
- 1/2 c. Cointreau
- 1 Star Fruit
- 1/2 pt Kiwi Berries (sliced in half with ends removed)
- Fresh Lime Juice
- 3 Fresh Lime Leaves (sliced into thin strips)
- Fever-Tree's Premium Bitter Lemon Soda
Instructions
- In a large pitcher, combine Cointreau, Wine, Starfruit, Kiwi Berries and Lime Leaves
- Pour contents approximately 2/3-3/4 full in double old fashioned glasses over ice
- Fill the remainder of the glass with Bitter Lemon Soda
- Add the juice of 1/2 Lime to each glass
- Garnish with additional fruit and serve
