Orange Sangria
Sangria is summer and the perfect beverage for a hot day! We have tried many, many sangria recipes and we always return to this one from Sunset’s Mexican cookbook, circa 1969. Judy found this Sunset cookbook (along with several others) at a garage sale while in college and, you know what? It’s still her favorite Mexican cookbook!
We like our sangria simple and straightforward. Not too sweet, either. We’ve tried sangrias that use several different liqueurs and fruits in them but they all seem too fussy. Our sangria has only oranges, orange liqueur, a little orange oil sugar and a red wine base. It’s refreshing and goes wonderfully with a Mexican feast or a backyard barbecue.
Happy 4th of July!
The original sangria recipe is from this 1969 cookbook.
Minimal ingredients for maximum flavor!
Try to get as much oil out of the rind as possible.
Cheers!
Orange Sangria
- 2 medium-sized oranges
- ¼ cup superfine sugar
- 2 cups fresh orange juice
- 1 bottle (750ml) bottle red wine (we like to use this one from Trader Joe’s)
- ½ cup Cointreau
- Sparkling water or club soda
- Ice
Cut one orange in half. Cut four thin slices from one of the halves then cut the slices into quarters. Reserve for garnish.
Cut the other orange into ¼ inch slices and place in a 2 quart pitcher.
Using a vegetable peeler, peel thin strips of the rind off of the other orange half. Make sure you only get rind and not pith. Place the sugar in a bowl and add the orange rind. Using a fork, push the rind into the sugar until the orange oil is released and absorbed into the sugar.
Empty the bottle of wine into the pitcher. Add the sugar, along with the rinds, and the Cointreau. Stir together, cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Remove the rinds from the sangria using a slotted spoon or tongs. Add the full slices of orange to the sangria and stir.
To serve: Place ice cubes in high ball glasses. Fill ¾ with sangria. Top with sparkling water. Stir and add orange quarter as garnish.
Makes 6 cups or 12 servings of ½ cup each.