Cherry Berry Sangria

Bold fruit flavors, a robust cherry simple syrup, wine, and flavored vodka make up this lip-smacking simple syrup! Bring a large jar to your next party!

As I descended the subway steps this morning a gust of wind lifted my dress Marilyn Monroe style.

As the dress blew up my belly, I thought, “Thank God I wore nice underwear!!!”
Because nothing is worse than displaying a pair of grubby granny panties to strangers.

As you may have guessed, my day didn’t really shape up from there. In fact, my day may have reached a new low.
Now is when I mention, I suffer a delayed reaction when I’m faced with embarrassing situations. I don’t really think about them right away. I store it in the depths of my psyche to revisit at a later moment.
Must be some sort of coping mechanism.
As the day wears on I give thought to said embarrassing incident, and the more I think about it, the deeper my cheeks flush.
Have you ever seen a brown girl flush? She flushes purple. I’m surprised I wasn’t mistaken for a choking victim and administered the Heimlich today.

I need a drink.
Bad…
Fortunately I had a batch of sangria on hand for times like these…

Some days are hard.
Sometimes the wind blows beneath your cute flowy dress and you’re left showing your panties to a bunch of strangers who are trying to get to work.
DRINKS! NOW!

This cherry berry sangria is a little more involved than your average sangria. A cherry simple syrup and some fruit cutting ninja action will extend the time to about 20 minutes. I can assure you, however, the extra steps are worth it.
Pro tip: Cut your fruit while the simple syrup is cooling.

I left the fruits whole for visual effect, but cut as small as you like. Do leave the cherries whole on purpose. They soak up the booze.

And if you had a day that is anything like mine, you’re going to need booze laden fruit.
Big time.
Delicious fruity booze…

Most def…

A glass… Two… Three… Enough to make me forget today, or at the very least put a positive light on it.
Excuse me while I sip away, catch up on my Instagrams.
Tomorrow is another day.
And I’m thinking…Pants.

: Cherry Berry Sangria

Some days are hard… Have a glass of sangria…

For the simple syrup*

• 1/2 cup cherries pitted
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar

For the sangria:

• 2 cups cherries, pitted and sliced
• 1 cup strawberries, hulled and quartered or chopped finely
• 1 cup of blueberries, sliced or left whole
• 3-4 tablespoons cherry simple syrup
• 6 oz pineapple juice
• 2 oz berry vodka
• 1 750ml bottle (or 3 1/4 cups) of red wine (I used merlot)
• Club soda

To make the simple syrup:

1. Combine the cherries, water and sugar in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a full rolling boil. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking until the sugar has completely dissolved, the cherries are soft and the liquid has a nice red syrupy hue, about 10 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Fish out the cherries which you can discard, eat, or use for ice cream topping. I ate them…

To make the sangria:

1. In a large pitcher, combine the cherries, strawberries and blueberries.
2. To the fruit add the 3-4 tablespoons of cherry simple syrup, the pineapple juice, berry vodka, and merlot or wine of choice.
3. Mix thoroughly to combine.
4. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
5. Serve sangria over ice with a splash of club soda. Garnish with a cherry.

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*Note – You will have a lot of simple syrup left over. Save it for a mojito, or add some seltzer for a light cherry soda.

Preparation time: 20 minute(s)

Cooking time:

Number of servings (yield): about 4, 8 oz glasses