As I edited these sparkling, hot pink photos, I realized my “Super Bowl” cocktail looks more like a Valentine’s Day cocktail. The big game is tomorrow (find my Super Bowl recipes here) and we’re just around the corner from that horrid holiday, so let’s call it a two-for-one special! My friends are probably tired of hearing me announce that “Champagne is the new beer,” every time I bring over a bottle for a game, but it’s true. You heard it here first. Sparkling sangria is a fun way to drink it.
I’ve been intimidated by sangria for far too long. It always seemed like some sort of magical potion that only a Spanish woman could properly mix up. Plus, my exhausting analytical side always wants to create the “perfect” recipe and there are so many variables when it comes to sangria. The sweetness and type of fruit, the sweetness and type of wine… Fortunately, I’ve finally learned that sangria is a mix-and-match, do-no-wrong kind of drink, which is just as pitchers of cocktails should be.
This sangria is an unconventional spin on classic red sangria. It features a few of my favorite things: fresh blood oranges, pomegranate arils and the dry, sparkling rosé that my friend Colleen introduced me to last weekend. Combined with some brandy, they make a stellar sangria. It tastes great right away, but for the most fruity flavor, allow a few hours for the fruit to marinate in the blood orange juice/brandy mixture. Wait to pour in the sparkling wine until you’re ready to serve so your bubbly is still bubbly.
