When the summer heat completely tires you down, a light refreshing sangria is the only way to go. I find that I always have partially enjoyed bottles of wine in my fridge. A sangria is a great way to finish off a bottle and make it taste amazing. Usually you find sangrias made with white or red wine, but rosé is truly my favorite for wine cocktails. There’s just so much you can do with a rosé, like these “Drink Pink” recipes! This version of sangria takes a little marinating to get the fruit flavors just right.
Ingredients (makes about four servings)
- Bottle of rosé wine
- 1 cup frozen peaches
- 1 cup frozen mango
- 1 cup frozen pineapple
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 1 teaspoon of rose water
- Fresh strawberries
- Fresh basil
First make sure the wine is completely chilled, no one likes a hot sangria! Measure the frozen peaches, mango and pineapple and add them to a mixing bowl. Lightly drizzle the honey over the fruit. The fruit will already sweeten as it thaws and the honey is just to help with releasing the natural sugars.
Rose flavor is my favorite ingredient to use in fruit cocktails. Rose water is especially potent compared to rose syrup. Very little is required to bring out a lovely floral scent and flavor, a few drops will do the trick. Let the fruit blend with the honey and rose water for at least 30 minutes. The fruit pieces will still be cold enough to chill the cocktail.
Add the marinated fruit to the glass and top with cut pieces of fresh strawberry and basil. Pour the rosé over the fruits and herbs. Garnish with a fresh strawberry and enjoy!
The honey and rosewater really bring out the sweetness and floral notes in a rosé. If making a larger batch for a celebration, just chill overnight and let the flavors blend together. Just fill up almost half of the pitcher fruit and the rest with wine. Scoop out the fruit into each glass as it’s served so that everyone can enjoy the honey rose medley.
