Sangria from Champagne

When we lived in Champagne one of our neighbours, M. Deville, was a champagne-maker. Nothing unusual in this you might say, and you’d be right.

In fact it’s more unusual to find a neighbour that’s NOT a champagne-maker, however this particular one was special because he made a mean jug of sangria.

When we went round to his house, which happened quite frequently, it was a toss up whether to drink his excellent champagne or his remarkable sangria.

Here’s the recipe if you want to give it a go - genuine champagne sangria!

- 3 litres of red wine (12% alc/vol – this seems to be important to M. Deville
and who am I to argue?)

- 2 litres dry white wine (11% same again)

- 5 oranges

- 2 lemons

- 900 g sugar

- ½ litre of spirits (any spirit with do as long as it’s 45 proof : gin, vodka, rum, whatever you like)

Allow to soak for 12 hours.

Press well.

Filter into a container and stir from time to time.

Comments

[Anna Mascioli]

Hi: I have a question about your champagne sangria. Do you cut the oranges and lemons in half, slice them up or put them into the alcohol mixture whole? Also, you say to 'put into a container and stir from time to time'. How long must this be done before it is ready to drink and how long does it keep? Thanks!