I love Sangria.  I remember the first time I had it.  It was  my first visit to New York City, which turned out to be a perfect trip.  A couple of friends and I had never been there and we said, ‘Hey, let’s go to New York this summer’.  So, we did.   Just one more advantage to being single.  We did every touristy thing you can imagine, including attending a live taping of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.  And to cap off the trip, just a few hours before we boarded our plane to come home, we stopped off in Little Italy for a drink.  My choice was a delicious glass of Sangria.  It is perfect for a hot summer afternoon.

Sangria

1 Bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Rioja, Zinfandel, Shiraz)
1 Lemon cut into wedges
1 Orange cut into wedges
1 Lime cut into wedges
2 Tbsp sugar
Splash of orange juice or lemonade
2 Shots of gin or triple sec (optional)
1 Cup of raspberries or strawberries (may use thawed or frozen)
1 Small can of diced pineapples (with juice)
4 Cups ginger ale
Pour wine into a large pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon, orange and lime into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and pineapple then add sugar, orange juice and gin. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale, berries and ice just before serving. If you’d like to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over lots of ice. However, remember that the best Sangrias are chilled around 24 hours in the frig.