Before our kids came along, my husband and I were able to do a bit of travelling as a couple and one of our all-time favourite destinations was Spain. The food, the people, the culture, the sights, the shopping…it was all fantastic. Well perhaps we could have done without the seedy hostel our first few nights in Barcelona and my husband is still cursing my backpack that weighed well over 40 pounds, but overall it was a magical trip.

One evening during our travels we were sitting in a café in Seville munching on tapas and oohing and ahhhing over the most amazing Sangria on the planet when we decided we just had to learn how to make this magical drink. My husband speaks a bit of Spanish so he approached the bartender in the hopes of obtaining the recipe so that we could wow and impress our friends when we returned home. The bartender smiled, reached under the counter and came up with his secret ingredient- a big bottle of Wink!We definitely weren’t expecting that!

Many years have passed since that trip but I still love a sweet and fruity ruby-red glass of Sangria. And as we head into our Canadian long weekend, I thought you might appreciate a cocktail recipe to serve at weekend get-togethers and barbeques.

My husband worked part-time as a bartender during his university days (and moonlighted part-time as a drunken student) so he drew on his “training” to create this delicious Sangria recipe. It tastes amazing, it’s vegan (check here to make sure your wine is veg-friendly), it’s full of healthy fruits and antioxidants and there isn’t a trace of high-fructose corn syrupy soda in sight. Mix up a batch this weekend and I’m willing to bet you’ll love it… and that it will disappear in a wink!

Sangria

1 bottle of red wine
2 cans of Santa Cruz Organic Orange Mango Sparkling Beverage (I think a combination of orange juice and sparkling water would work as well)
2 shots of Brandy (optional)
2 tbsp agave nectar
1 cup raspberries
1 cup of chopped pineapple
1 orange, cut into wedges
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1-2 trays of ice cubes

Empty the wine into a large pitcher and squeeze in the juice from the lemon, lime and orange and then toss in the fruit wedges (minus the seeds). Add the pineapple, agave and brandy and stir to mix. Chill for a couple of hours in the fridge. Just prior to serving, add the Santa Cruz sparkling beverage, raspberries and tons of ice. Pour into a large wine or cocktail glass and enjoy!