Drink of the Month: Tropical Red Sangria

I love Sangria!  Not the nasty stuff you find in a plastic bottled labeled, "Sangria," but real hand-made Sangria prepared with a good bottle of wine.  

White Sangria has always been my Sangria of choice.  I like Red Sangria, but I always found it to have a weird flavor that I just wasn't a fan of.  I finally realized what the flavor was, it's Brandy.  It seems like most Red Wine Sangrias call for Brandy, and I do not like the stuff.  So I set-out to make one that didn't involve Brandy.
  
It took a couple years, and a few failed attempts that went down the drain, but I finally concocted the perfect Red Wine Sangria for me.  

Most Sangrias are comprised of four main ingredients: wine, liquor, sugar, and fruit.  
*Wine is the easy one, I prefer a dry-spanish wine in Sangria, but most any red wine will work.  
*For the liquor component I used spiced rum instead of brandy.  
*The sugar was no sugar at all, it was Simply Tropical by Simply.
*The fruit was slices of orange and lime (because it's what I had on hand at the time).

Finally, a Red Sangria that I can drink all Summer long.  

Drink of the Month: Champagne Cocktail

As much as I love brunch we don't make it at home; it's typical scrambled eggs for breakfast daily around here.  I decided to try to elevate our egg breakfast at Valentine's Day by making a brunch beverage...The Champagne Cocktail.  

A Champagne Cocktail is one of those things that isn't a set recipe.  There are dozens of ways to make a Champagne Cocktail, there is just one rule, it must have Champagne.  

Step 1: Find the right Champagne.  I went with a Cava, much more affordable than champagne, and easy to find.  (I personally like a drier Champagne, not a sweet one).  

Step 2: Add a splash of juice.  I like grapefruit juice because it adds a nice tartness and pucker without the sweetness.  But, you can use any juice you like.  

Step 3: Add a raw sugar cube to the bottom of the glass.  If you like your cocktail sweeter, you can stir it until is dissolves.  If you are like me and prefer just a hint of sweetness, you can leave it on the bottom and let it dissolve just slightly.  

Step 4: Top with a little more Champagne and a cute garnish.

Cheers!