Sangria

We're starting to get settled in here in Seattle, we're signing a lease on an apartment on Saturday and I'm almost finished with my first week of work on the new job. So far, so good! I am definitely looking forward to moving into our own place, getting all of my kitchen tools back and sleeping in my own bed. 

Tomorrow is a big day, I have to wear pants to work. I used to work from home on Fridays. To celebrate me putting pants on tomorrow, I have a nice cocktail recipe to kick off your weekend. I made this for Amanda's housewarming party, that was 8 months after they moved in (they needed a rug) and it went down pretty well. 

I knew this recipe was going to be good when I saw it was from November 1973, it's withstood the test of time. I found the recipe over at Epicurious, and even though my friends drink a lot, I still didn't need it to serve 100 people, so I scaled it down a bit. The recipe is fairly flexible, so definitely taste as you go and adjust the ingredients to your liking.

Ingredients
1 bottle of Shiraz (can also use Zinfandel, Tempranillo, Sangiovese and others)
2-3 cups Brandy
1/3 cup triple sec
3 cups orange juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
3-4 cups club soda
2-3 oranges, sliced thinly
2-3 apples, sliced thinly
ice 

Directions
Place sliced fruit in Brandy and let soak for 8 to 12 hours in refrigerator. Chill all other ingredients (not essential to chill triple sec).

In large punch bowl combine wine, 2 cups brandy and triple sec. In separate bowl, stir together orange juice, lemon juice and sugar until sugar dissolves. Then add orange/lemon juice mixture to punch bowl. Add ice, top with club soda and garnish with orange and apple slices.

I dare you to have just one glass!