Chinese Sangria aka “Chang”- ria

You may have remembered me crowdsourcing after I posted a photo of a glass of wine I had at the Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland back in October last year. Well, I was able to track it to a local grocery in Bellevue where I purchased a couple of bottles. At that moment, I was exhilarated with just the fact that I was in possession of something I’ve been wanting for months, but really, without an idea of how or when I’d consume it. When I first had it, I was with my family and my sister-in-law who was visiting us.

Last week, we had the pleasure of having her visit us again, and I knew the timing was perfect to break out a bottle, get creative and have someone to share it with. And that’s when I came up with this idea: Chinese Sangria aka “Chang”-ria.

This fun take on a traditional wine cocktail is smooth, refreshing and fruity! It doesn’t pack a punch as strong as its original counterparts, but that can be easily adjusted by adding more of the alcoholic components. You can even make it less sweeter by swapping the sparkling apple cider with club soda. If you know me, I like using fruits in season, hence the use of sliced apples and oranges. If you ever find yourself making this around the fall season and plums are in season in addition to apples, using both will add such depth to the flavor and color of your sangria.

Cheers!

Chinese Sangria aka “Chang”- ria

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 bottle 355 ml Master Gao Apple Plum Wine

¼ cup brandy

2 cups sparkling apple cider (i.e. Martinelli’s)

2 tbsp honey

½ apple, sliced

½ orange, sliced

Ice, for serving

Instructions:

Combine wine and brandy in a carafe or a pitcher. Drizzle honey and mix with a wooden spoon. Add apples, oranges and ice. Top with ice and pour apple cider just before serving. Serve immediately.