Red Wine Sangria a la Bobby Flay

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day in Seattle; today- not so much :(. Sorry that it's been so long since my last post, but school has been absolutely crazy these past few weeks as the quarter ends. The good news is that I'm almost done! I finished my last paper last night, and the last thing I have is a final tomorrow morning; then Mikey and I are off to Florida to visit friends and family :D!
I'm not someone who really drinks much at all, but I do enjoy the occasional cocktail and the such. I recently had some less-than-stellar sangria at a tex-mex restaurant and was rather disappointed. I had wanted something loaded with fruit, and instead received a small ($6!) glass of the stuff with one small orange slice, and a tiny lime wedge.
The sad excuse for sangria left me unsatisfied and I knew I had to take matters into my own hands, so I decided to attempt to make some of my own.
I generally don't much care for Bobby Flay, but there are a few things I trust him completely on: grilling, sauces, and cocktails. Plus, I had heard good things about his Sangria recipe so I thought it'd be a good one to try-out.
This sangria turned out phenomenal! It was super fruity (what I had been craving!), but not too sweet. Don't even think about skipping the 24 hours in the fridge or you'll be very sorry. The flavors need time to mellow and meld. This was a perfect treat for someone who has been longing for summer, and of course this would make a great cocktail at a outdoor Barbecue or Grill-out. YES, all you crazy northerners, there is a difference. You have to actually be eating/making something that is Barbecued to call it a Barbecue, ha ha.

Fruity Red Wine Sangria

recipe from here
makes about 4ish servings


A word to the wise, I used a TON of fruit in mine (because I like it that way). You may want to cut what I put in mine in half if you aren't into an equal ratio of liquid to fruit, ha ha.

ingredients:

• 1 bottle red Spanish table wine
• 1/2 cup brandy
• 1/4 cup triple sec
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup simple syrup, or more if you'd like (this is simply equal parts of sugar and water that has been heated until the sugar dissolves and then cooled; if you're über lazy, I know they sell it at Trader Joe's)
• orange slices (I used 1 blood orange and 1 Cara Cara orange)
• apple slices (I used 1 Fuji apple)
• blackberries (I used about 6 ounces)

1. Mix all of the ingredients together and put into the fridge in a tightly sealed container for at least 24 hours before serving.