I had an idea for a red, white and blue sangria as a signature drink for patriotic holidays like Labor Day or the 4th of July. I LOVE sangria and thought I would adapt it to make it an all-American signature drink! I found a great looking sangria on Pinterest that had slices of star fruit floating in the pitcher, but the recipe didn't look delicious. I decided to keep the star fruit and make my own red, white and blue sangria!
I've always liked star fruit, which is very mild in flavor - almost like a cross between an apple and watermelon - and naturally star-shaped when cut into slices. I was going to call the sangria "star spangled sangria" or "star studded sangria" (I can get away with a kitchy name for the holiday, right?!?), and I was looking forward to making it all week. But when my Freshdirect (grocery) order came I opened the box and saw that they delivered 2 passion fruits instead of 2 star fruits, so I was without stars for the star spangled sangria. I hit 3 stores on the UWS, including Fairway on a Saturday afternoon with a toddler (now you KNOW I was desperate!), and still no luck in the star fruit department. I enlisted the help of friends, who already know how crazy I get about these things, and are never surprised by my requests to search for random ingredients or party supplies. The search team came up empty handed too. Apparently there's a shortage of star fruit in NYC, or maybe they aren't in season (they're usually imported from Asia). I would have been disappointed, but for the fact that I had a nice big batch of rosé sangria already made. I added the blueberries and watermelon sans star fruit, and that's how the red and blue sangria came to be. If you're lucky enough to find a star fruit, slice it up and add it to the mix. It will look adorable and I'm sure it will taste great too. This sangria is absolutely delicious - flavorful, refreshing and not too sweet. Make twice as much as you think you need because people will love it. Serve it at any patriotic party.
Photo credit: Beth Robyn Photography
Red & Blue Rosé Sangria
Ingredients
- 1 bottle dry rosé wine, preferably Spanish or French
- 1 C. cranberry juice
- ½ C. brandy
- ½ C. triple sec
- ¼ C. simple syrup (recipe below)
- 1 C. blueberries
- 1 C. diced watermelon or sliced strawberries
- 2/3 C. water
- 2/3 C. sugar
- Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small sauce pan. Boil until clear; remove from heat and let cool.
- Combine wine, juice, bandy and triple sec in a large pitcher. Add additional 1/4 cup simple syrup or to taste; stir to combine. Add fruit and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours. Serve straight up or over ice.