As residents of Washington, D.C., we're always reminded this time of year that the District used to be considered a "hardship post" by foreign diplomats, meaning that statesmen posted here got extra pay for enduring the area's swampy humidity and triple-digit temps. Air-conditioning has made D.C. summers more tolerable, but they can still be nasty. This summer so far has been especially brutal, with unrelenting heat (we hit 110 degrees this past weekend) and punishingly thick, muggy air.
Which is why we've been chugging sangria like it's tap water.
Sangria is cool and refreshing -- like air-conditioning in a glass! -- but it's always been one of those things that, to us, worked better in theory than in practice. A traditional sangria recipe can be a lot of labor and requires patience: chopping all that fruit, plopping it in wine, chilling it for a couple hours, mixing it with seltzer. (And we're personally a little turned off by a glass of wine with little bits and strands of fruit in it.) It just always seems like more trouble than it's worth.
But this summer, we've become obsessed with a new spin on sangria that'll ensure you'll always have a nice, cool glass close at hand. It's super fast, ridiculously easy, and it's sure to be your new summer fave.
Ladies and gentleman: The 10-Second Sangria.
We don't know where this recipe comes from. We heard about it from our friends Drew and Ralph, who had heard about it from Drew's sister's boyfriend Kevin, who heard about it from a former roommate....
Personally, we're not too concerned with what the origins are. We're just happy this magical drink has made its way to us.
How simple is this drink? Well, it has three ingredients -- if you include ice.
Here's what you need:
A bottle of cheap red wine. Drew and Ralph, after extensive, grueling experimentation, have concluded that Yellow Tail Shiraz is the optimal wine to be used in this drink. But anything red, cheap and relatively dry should work just fine. (In this case, if you're getting something that's more than eight bucks for a bottle, you're overpaying.)
You also need a bottle of sparkling lemonade, which you ought to be able to pick up at just about any grocery store.
Umm, that's it! Pour equal parts over ice, and enjoy! If you want to throw the wine and the lemonade in the fridge for a while before you serve it, that's great. If not, no worries.
Really, though: 10 seconds. That's all that's standing between you and this cool, delicious sangria. The mix of red wine and sparkling lemonade is light and extremely refreshing.
Pour one for yourself, and it's like somebody just turned the thermostat down 10 degrees.
Pour two and it's like you're sitting under a nice, breezy fan.
Pour three? Well, you'll forget all about how hot it is.
10-Second Sangria
As introduced to us by Kevin, via Mary Margaret, via Drew & Ralph
Ingredients:
- Yellow Tail Shiraz (or similar red wine)
- Sparkling Lemonade
Fill a glass with ice. Add equal parts wine and lemonade. Serve.
