IMBIBE: Damn it, Rosé, it’s Sangria!

I like wine. I like cocktails. I like cocktails with wine. Especially now that it’s summer, I prefer dumping something delicious into a pitcher and pouring (surreptitiously) near the beach or sharing with friends.

Speaking of friends, a friend of mine recently challenged me to bring Sangria to a get-together. Who doesn’t love a good Sangria? But there are lots and lots of bad recipes and crappy pre-made variations out there. And while I love the tiny bits of fruit macerating in booze, I’m also kind of lazy, because — hello summer! — I’d rather be outside than indoors prepping fruit.

Sangria hails from Spain and Portugal and was named as such because of its dark red hue akin to, erm, blood. This boozy baby’s popularity has grown and like any popular item, thousands of iterations and variations now exist.

Well, here’s one more for the books. I found a bottle of rosé I’d not yet drunk (shocking, really) and thought, why not? Think what you want about rosé, but there’s great rosé wine out there, damn the Californian bastard white zin. Go for a dry, lovely, rosé. Drink it straight while using a second bottle for my little, easy, lazy, sublime summer concoction.

Or just give me a bottle.

What: Damn it, Rosé, it’s Sangria!

Found Where: Your place, or mine

Go Get: 

2 btls dry rosé

½ c Limoncello (the good stuff)

4 tbsp agave syrup or simple syrup

16 oz strawberries

1 lemon

Ice

Pitcher

Make: Cut up the lemon and strawberries into as equal pieces (small as you can muster).

Throw them into your pitcher of choice (in a pinch, a flower vase works great). Pour in the Limoncello, rosé and syrup. Stir.

Put in your fridge and try to wait.*

Pour over ice in cups and judiciously strain out the fruit.

That’s it. Enjoy. And if you don’t, I don’t want to hear about it.

*I usually last 5 minutes but if you can wait a few hours, it’s even better.