A Mighty Fine Summer Sangria

photo courtesy of food.com..

One of my favorite things to do in the summer time is to grab a drink and sit outside....or even better..grab a drink and sit in a float in my pool. This past weekend we had a couple friends over for an impromptu pool party/BBQ. I'm usually a huge wine drinker during the summertime..there's nothing better than a nice cold glass of a good wine. I was looking for something to make for a crowd and decided to give sangria a try.

I was a little nervous...I've attempted mojitos at home..they just didn't come out right..or you nab what you think is a good martini recipe only to go out buy $80 worth of liquor and it turns out bad.

So...I searched lots of recipes and found this one. I must say..I was pleased with the results, there weren't too many ingredients, and everyone seemed to enjoy it!

White Sangria

(adapted from http://www.food.com/)

Ingredients:

750 ml white wine, cold (this is one regular sized bottle...I used Yellowtail Pinot Grigio)
1/2 cup vodka (I used Stoli Orange flavored vodka)
2 limes, juice of
1/2 cup sugar
1 lemon, sliced
2 limes, sliced
1 1/2 cups tonic water
ice cube
fresh mint leaves, to garnish

In a pitcher mix wine, vodka, lime juice, sugar, lemons and limes. Chill overnight. Shortly before serving, add tonic water, ice. Garnish with mint to serve.

Just a couple notes. I doubled this recipe. I used a larger sized bottle of Pinot Grigio and double the vodka, lime juice and sugar. I also added a sliced orange and 2 sliced apples to the fruit. I added 3 cups of tonic water (since I doubled this recipe) the next day before I served it. When I taste tested it, the citrus flavor from the limes and lemons is strong. I ended up adding an additional 2 TBSP of sugar to take the citrus bite away and I thought it turned out perfect!