Sangria by the Glass

Some days, you just can’t wait to find that one specific ingredient that eludes you. Some days....you just have to improvise. SOME days... you really just need a drink. Now.

Such was the case at my house last night.

Ty and I returned from our adventures in Baltimore on Tuesday night, and since then have been doing nothing but trying to catch up (at work and at home), CLEAN up (you know, since I cleaned the house like a raving lunatic before I left, so the house would be CLEAN when I got back, just to have my husband leave crap EVERYWHERE while I was gone, in a clear effort to drive me to the brink of insanity), and SIGN up (for school, that is. I officially registered Ty for kindergarten yesterday).

And yes, folks, after all that....momma needed a drink.

Not that this should come as a shock to any of you....

You all know how fond I am of my cocktails.

Meanwhile...for a week or so now, I have been hunting one elusive ingredient for the primo cocktail. I read on another blog recently that you can make a “cheater” sangria by mixing one bottle of cheap, dry red wine with a bottle of sparkling lemonade. You know, those nice tall bottles of Italian lemonade that call your name at World Market. Or Whole Foods. Or really, any of the fun places to shop that we....don’t....have....HERE.

I was out of luck and had no plans to go to the city in the near future. I seriously considered bringing a bottle back with me on the plane, but considering that TSA felt the need to manually inspect my luggage not once, but TWICE during my trip, I’m glad I didn’t push my luck. Not that there is anything wrong with packing a bottle of lemonade (or the bottle of Muscat, or the bottle of white balsamic vinegar I already had stashed in my bag, in tightly sealed Ziploc bags), but since the TSA people apparently don’t have opposable thumbs and aren’t able to RE-seal a Ziploc bag once they’ve opened it for inspection....well, let’s just say it was probably for the best that I didn’t have anything else in there that was liable to break and spew sticky, stinky, or otherwise volatile liquids all over my other belongings.

In the famous words of my MEF (WOMAN Marine. That’s right.)

Adapt.

Improvise.

And OVERCOME.

Which I did.

With flair.

See, at any given time, you will find in my freezer, various containers holding lemonade concentrate, orange juice concentrate, and apple juice concentrate. And sometimes others. I buy a can, open it, use what I need, and put the rest in a container for later. I then use these, a spoonful at a time, in marinades, sauces, and pretty much anything else that I feel needs a little blast of flavor.

So, the next time you’ve had a rather exhausting week....and you just need a drink....now....try this.

In a glass, put a heaping spoonful of any combination of the aforementioned frozen drink concentrates.
Then, pour over that a generous helping of cheap, dry red wine.

Mix.....and enjoy.

Repeat as necessary.

Now. I am by no means implying that this is a substitute for the real thing. Having lived in Spain, I have had the real thing, and I’m kind of a stickler for authenticity on this point. I scoff at Sangrias that are sub-par, made with questionable ingredients. So, no, I’m not saying this is REALLY sangria. But, in a pinch, it does hit the spot.

Give it a try...I will ....tonight. Next time maybe I'll actually take a picture to show you....