Summer Sangria

I should tell you up front that this is in no way an authentic sangria.  It has 7-Up in it.  I cringed a bit just typing that.  But, now with the bastardized nature of the drink out of the way, I can get to the good stuff, and that is that this sangria is deceptively good.

I was where most of you probably are right now when I saw my brother and father pouring 7-Up into the pitcher.  THE HORROR!  THE BLASPHEMY!  WE’VE ACTUALLY BEEN TO SPAIN, GUYS!  WE CANNOT DO THIS TO THEIR CULTURE!

But, we did.  And it’s delicious.

Some background – my family doesn’t drink a lot of liquor but we have an impressive liquor collection.  I’m talking Johnnie Walker Blue.  Wine that costs more than my monthly rent.  Most of them were gifts over the year, and we’ve amassed quite the collection.  But, for this sangria, we definitely used three dollar Merlot from Aldi.  Which is probably a good thing considering we mixed it with 7-Up.

I don’t have pictures of this sangria to share with you but I do have a GIF of Betty White cheering a mystery woman with a glass of wine the size of her head.  That’s the same thing, right?

Summer Sangria

Ingredients:

1 bottle merlot

1 cup 7-Up

2 lemons, chopped

2 limes, chopped

1 cup of grapes, sliced in half

1 cup of cantaloupe, chopped

1 apple, chopped

2 tbsp brown sugar

Directions:

Mix together the fruit and brown sugar in the bottom of a large pitcher.  Add the wine and 7-Up, and mix until the sugar has dissolved.  Let chill for an hour or so before drinking.