It’s fruity, festive and perfect for summer sipping! Made with red wine and sweetened naturally with fresh fruit, this cocktail delivers a powerful punch of antioxidants.
Red wine contains resveratrol, the famed antioxidant (polyphenol) found in grape skins, which may boost your metabolism and whittle your waistline. In addition, resveratrol is thought to protect against various neurological disorders including brain ischemia, seizures, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Macular Degeneration and Parkinson’s Disease.
Of course, sangria still has alcohol and should be enjoyed in moderation. Moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages, including wine, has been shown to protect against hypertension, atherosclerosis and heart attacks. In the case of wine, the cardioprotective effects are due to multiple mechanisms in the body, not only from the alcohol, but also from the polyphenols.
Here’s a simple sangria recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1.5 bottles red wine
- 1/4 cup triple sec
- 2 cups lemon/lime/orange-flavored sparkling water (make sure it has no added sugar)
- 1 pear, diced
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, diced
- 2 oranges, diced or sliced (not peeled)
- 1 cup pineapple chunks
- 1/4 cup orange juice
To Make:
- Put all fruit in bottom of a large pitcher, add red wine, triple sec and orange juice. Put in the fridge to “marinate” for at least 4 hours.
- Before serving, add sparkling water to the pitcher, stir well and serve!
Makes 10 servings.
Sangria season is here … enjoy!
