saturday we took advantage of the gorgeous weather and had some friends over for a bbq, we are loving the yard! hosting is by far one of my favorite things to do; jack handles all the cooking to ensure folks walk out of here happy and alive and i handle the cocktails to make sure they leave happy and not remembering i didn't do any cooking! sangria is my go to drink during these sun filled days; it's yummy, i have control over the flavor & strength, it's so pretty, and numero uno…it's easy! this time around i made my best sangria to date…ask anyone who was there, for once people are asking me "what's your recipe?"…that's ground breaking because i don't have recipes. there were two key ingredients that made this sangria a knockout - arugula and cider! what?! i know, i know…it sounds odd but trust me it was amazing! the arugula added a peppery kick and the cider gave it the bubbles (that usually comes from club soda), added flavor, and more alcohol (duh!). oh and nobody woke up with a hangover not sure if that was because i'm a mixologist master or pure luck, but whatever the case…no hangovers!

jacqueline lizzette cider-gria recipe:

what you need

4 bottles of dry red wine (i used yellow tail cabernet sauvignon, inexpensive and yummy)
2 cups of brandy (pretty sure jack snuck another cup in behind my back, but it worked)
1/2 cup of orange triple sec
2/3 cup of sugar (originally i didn't add sugar because i hate sweet drinks but because of the massive amount of citrus it was necessary to kill some of the tartness)
3 limes sliced thin
3 oranges sliced thin
3 lemons sliced thin
1/2 case of strawberries
4 cups of arugula
stella artois cidre (we had 2 6 packs, personal preference according to your taste buds)

how to make

pour the wine, brandy, and triple sec in a pitcher or serving bowl (we got amazing stackable pitchers from the dollar store, even though they weren't a dollar)
add in the sugar and stir
add the arugula and stir with a wooden spoon (mash the arugula to release the flavor)
add in the fruit and give a light stir
put in the fridge to chill and set over night (personal preference)

how to serve

put a few ice cubes in a mason jar (that's how i roll)
pour some cidre in that bad boy (i did about 1/4 cup, jack did 1/2 cup…your call)
fill the rest of the cup with sangria
enjoy the shit out of the glass of wonderfulness
thank me later

happy bbq season my friends.

please note there are no pictures of my gorgeous display due to very thirsty guests.