Sangria

For most of the year, I'm cold, so the thought of an icy beverage appeals to me only during hot weather. However, almost as soon as the weather turns warm, I start thinking about sangria. After lemonade and ice tea, it is my most frequently prepared drink.

When I saw sangria, I always mean red sangria. I've tasted white variety, but it never appeals to me. Yes, it tastes OK, but it just doesn't LOOK right. I like sangria to be vibrant red, so I never make the pale type. I also like it in a stemmed glass with a big bowl.

The recipe I use is very simple:

Peel one orange with a vegetable peeler, and mash the peel into 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar. I mash it using the back of a spoon. This releases the oils and permeates the sugar with them. Slice up the rest of the orange and reserve the slices.

Then mix 1/2 cup triple sec, 2 cups orange juice, and one bottle hearty red wine (zinfandel, burgundy, cabernet) and add the peel and sugar. Stir well and add the orange slices. Chill thoroughly. Then serve over lots of ice.

You can add other fruits if you have them, and some people even like a bit of club soda. I've never tried the soda—why mess with perfection?

Toast the New Year

ruby port

On New Year's Eve I will toast the end of 2012 with a small glass of port, one of the few forms of alcohol that I drink regularly. I will serve it with a few slices of Stilton cheese and some wheat biscuits. Friends would serve port with room-temperature chocolate, but I'm not as big a chocolate eater as I once was, so I no longer have much around. Besides, I prefer the cheese.

Port wine has a higher alcohol content than most other wines, so a little goes a long way. It is a sipping wine rather than a drinking wine. Personally, I'm a fan of ruby port, which is slightly fruitier than tawny. Tawny is aged longer and has a slightly nutty flavor.

My very favorite port is Graham's Six Grapes Reserve Port. It costs about $20 a bottle. As ports go, it is probably a mid-range price, but I've tried several of the less expensive brands and most lack richness and depth. Most wine lover recommend serving port in an oversized glass to better enjoy the aroma, but I don't. I have some very pretty crystal glasses that I like, so I use them instead.

So far, I've been afraid to try any of the expensive vintage ports. Vintage ports can be very price indeed.  I think I'm afraid I might fall in love with one and never be able to enjoy my affordable port again. Then I would either have to go broke or go without.

Happy new year, everyone!