So, yeh, it’s the middle of September and folk are back to school and the days are definitely gettin’ shorter, but… most days are still nicely warm, and the time is right for a tall, refreshing glass of watermelon sangria – made with watermelon (obvs), a bottle of sweet red wine, a few ounces of orangello (or, to taste), and a couple of tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice.
I like mine over ice, but you could just serve it ice cold, or mebbe turned into a frosty with ice in the blender.
INGREDIENTS
•6 cups chopped watermelon
•1 bottle Summer Red wine*
•3 oz orangello (or vodka or rum)
•2 tbsp fresh lime juice
*We came across this Barefoot wine while on vacation, and I love the very slight sparkle and sweetness it adds to the sangria, but go ahead and try your own fave summer rosé wine if you like.
Purée the watermelon in a blender until smooth, then strain through a fine meshed sieve. Press on the pulp to push out as much juice as possible, then discard the pulp.
Add the juice to a pitcher along with the wine, the orangello, and lime juice and stir to blend.
Set aside to rest for a half hour or so then, skim the foam off the top and discard before straining the remaining sangria again through a fine meshed sieve. Pop into the fridge until nicely chilled.
Full disclosure: I did not skim the foam or do the second straining, and my sangria was, well, pulpy, but still mighty tasty.
If you are looking for a pretty, clear sangria – especially for a crowd – I would go ahead and do the skimming and second straining, but would also double or triple the recipe so there’s more than enough to share. I would also probably add assorted frozen sliced fruit to the pitcher at the end to keep the sangria cool, and for prettiness’ sake.
Either way, tho’ – one fine sangria.