Red Wine Sangria

This is the first of three recipes I will post from my April Cookbook of the Month - Made in Spain by Jose Andres.  Zach and I took a Saturday in April and made a day of recreating some of the fabulous dishes we've seen him make on the PBS Series.  It was a lot of fun for us both to cook together all day, and we can't wait to do it again.  Of course, the fun was amplified by the fact that we prepared this sangria the night before and drank it while we were cooking.  It was phenomenal.  We've eaten at Jaleo several times and this recipe lived up to the restaurant version.  I love the bits of apple, they add a nice crunch.  It's a great summer drink and we're looking forward to making it again!

Red Wine Sangria

from Made in Spain

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 bottle of fruity red wine, such as a Garnacha

5 Tablespoons Brandy

1/4 cup orange-flavored liqueur

1/4 cup vodka

1 splash ruby port

1 orange, peeled and sliced

2 Granny Smith apples, cored and diced

1 cinnamon stick

1 strip of lemon zest

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1 splash of soda water

Directions:

• Combine the wine, brandy, orange liqueur, vodka, port, orange, apples, cinnamon stick and lemon zest in a bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
• Pour the mixture into a pitcher filled halfway with ice.  Add the orange juice and soda water.
• Give a quick stir and serve, making sure each glass gets some ice and fruit.