This Cinco de Mayo, try adding sake to your traditional sangria for an Asian twist! Sake is a Japanese alcoholic beverage sometimes referred to as “rice wine.” A popular and affordable bottle is Gekkeikan Sake, which costs about $8 for a 750ml bottle.
Let’s take a look at this recipe from Sake: A Modern Guide by Beau Timken and Sara Desera. The addition of sake takes place of red wine and orange liqueurs, typical alcoholic elements in a sangria. If you’d like to experiment further or want to keep a wine element to this particular recipe, try adding Plum Wine.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups sake
- 1/2 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
- 1/4 cup brandy
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 1 cup mixed fruit chunks (strawberries, kiwis, cantaloupe, watermon, honeydew)
- soda water to top
- fresh mint leaves for garnish
Directions:
- In a bowl, combine the sake, orange juice, brandy and sugar
- Stir until sugar is completely dissolved
- Pour mixture into a large pitcher
- Add fruit chunks
- Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours
Serving: Fill large wineglasses with ice, add enough of mixture to fill about 3/4 full, straining out the fruit and then top with soda water. Garnish with macerated fruit and mint leaves.
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