Summer is
finally here! Maybe not the actual
date on the calendar but for me, the beginning of June has always been the
official start of summer. To me,
summer means June bugs hitting the screen, bright red watermelon, sleeping with
the windows open, butter (alternative!) dripping off fresh corn on the cob, and
twinkling lightning bugs. It's
when my dogs want to be out more than in and so do I. Summer is also the time of the year when I feel like a few
more hours get added to my day. I
know it's only a trick I play on myself but the extra hours of daylight make me
feel like I've won the time lottery.
One of my favorite ways to spend my "winnings" is hanging out
with friends on the deck, sipping wine and watching the light slowly fade out
of the day. I love a crisp, dry
white wine like Pino Grigio or Chardonnay. Fruit filled sangria's have always been appealing but when I
taste them I'm disappointed with how sweet they are. I recently found a recipe for Strawberry Basil Sangria that
uses a base of Chardonnay. My
interest was piqued because of the
white, dry base and the fresh basil, so I decided to give it a try. Basil has always been one of my
favorite herbs. It has a unique
flavor that pairs well with the strawberries and apple. The great thing about this recipe is
that you can make it as sweet or as tart as you like by increasing or
decreasing the amount of sugar and grape juice. It's a refreshing drink for a summer evening and keeps well
in the fridge for a day or two (that's only if your lucky enough to have left
overs!). Of course this is both
gluten and dairy free so what's not to enjoy!
Strawberry
Basil Sangria
½ lb
of fresh strawberries
1 apple
1 ounce
of fresh whole basil leaves
1 bottle
of your favorite Chardonnay
½ cup
organic sugar
1 cup of
club soda
1 cup of
white grape juice
1. Trim
and thinly slice the strawberries.
2. Slice
and dice the apple into very small bits.
3. Score
the basil leaves with a fork or cut into strips. If you score the basil then simply rub the basil leaves gently with the fork in order to
release their flavor in the sangria.
4. Layer
the fruit, sugar and basil in a large pitcher and let sit for about 10 minutes.
This is just to let the sugar absorb the juices from the basil and the fruit.
You'll see it turn a bit red.
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