It’s official, summer is over. This week I go back into the classroom and I look at the calendar, longing for the next holiday break. So this weekend we wanted to really enjoy ourselves before we say goodbye to another lovely summer. And what better way to enjoy yourself than a fruity, sparkly sangria?
My husbands godparents started their own allotment. Here in Britain, most people don’t have back gardens large enough to grow fruit and veg, so they rent a plot of land to do their gardening. We went to have a look and it was absolutely amazing! From corn to raspberries and potatoes to rainbow chard, they have truly begun a beautiful and fruitful garden. They had been so successful that we actually came away with about 5 bags chock full of the freshest, organic, most loved veg in the country. So obviously on the long drive home my mind was spinning with ideas for how we could put all these lovely veg to good use. The overflowing bag of rhubarb got me thinking…
I’ve made cakes, muffins and crumbles before, so how else could I use the perfectly pink hued, tart and tangy rhubarb? I’d seen it used in recipes for sangria before, and thought it would be a spot on combination. Most sangrias can be sickly sweet, but the sour notes in the rhubarb would take it to a whole new level. But- the fruit that soaks up the booze can be quite delicious, too. So go ahead, throw some strawberries in there! And while you’re at it, forget the wine, use some bubbly! We want this Strawberry Rhubarb Sangria to be special. And now a toast: To summer, you were great while you were here, and you will be missed. Until next time. Cheers!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 rhubarb stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (from 1 orange)
- 1 orange, halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 4 cups (32 ounces) chilled seltzer
- 1 bottle (750 ml) chilled sparkling wine, such as Champagne or Prosecco
- Ice
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil, add rhubarb. Transfer mixture to a medium heatproof bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a pitcher or large bowl, combine orange juice, orange, and strawberries. To serve, add cooled rhubarb mixture, seltzer, sparkling wine, and ice.
Notes
Recipe from [Martha Stewart|http://www.marthastewart.com/852394/strawberry-rhubarb-sangria#Rhubarb%20Recipes|/275393/rhubarb-recipes/@center/1009726/spring-produce|852394]. Images from from Flick of the Whisk. All images are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.