A few weeks ago, I noticed that Food and Wine had posted a number of fun summer sangria recipes. I think different flavors of white and red sangria can be refreshing on a hot day because sangria is served over ice with lots of fresh, seasonal fruit. I was looking for something that would be crisp and fruity. I read the ingredients to the Zen Sangria and thought this would be a great drink to sip by the pool with some salsa and a few chips.
Some of the ingredients were foreign to me. I hadn't used pear nectar and/or apricot nectar before but I found them in the organic section of the supermarket, I used POM for the pomegranate juice. When I stopped over at Pop's Fine Wine & Liquors to get the green tea vodka, the closest they had was Wildberry Tea Vodka. So, Wildberry Tea Vodka it was and I headed back to the house.
I called my sister on the way in and said, "Zen Sangria will be served at 5 PM.". I mixed the ingredients and put them in the refrigerator to chill. I grabbed some fruit and mixed together my favorite Pineapple Peach Mango Salsa.
As I was getting everything ready, my sister arrive and my daughter, Danielle, followed right after. The Zen Sangria was delicious. It tasted like sweet tea. The Wildberry Tea flavor of the vodka really took the forefront for taste. It was smooth and refreshingly fruity. The blue corn chips and Pineapple Peach Mango Salsa were the perfect complement.
If you are looking for a refreshing sangria with a twist on sweet tea, you'll love this!
Zen Sangria is adapted from Food and Wine.
Ingredients:
One 750-milliliter bottle dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
2 1/2 cups pomegranate juice, chilled
2 1/2 cups pear nectar, chilled
2 1/2 cups apricot nectar, chilled
1 cup of green tea flavored vodka - we used Wildberry Tea Vodka
1 Anjou or Bartlett pear, thinly sliced, for garnish
Preparation:
1. In a pitcher, combine the wine with the pomegranate juice, pear and apricot nectars and vodka; refrigerate until chilled, 20 minutes.
2. Pour into glasses over ice, garnish with the pear slices and serve.
