Candy’s Party Sangria

As you may remember, my child was down in the dumps last week with a post-vaccine fever, a touch of a virus, plus (as it turns out), an eighth tooth breaking through.  Good times all around.  This week…?  Genuinely good times.  When in good health, Miss Skye is such fun to hang out with.  She is cruising around the house like nobody’s business — and is so close to walking on her own that it’s almost ridiculous.  This weekend I’m going to try dangling a piece of chocolate on the other side of the room to “help” her along.  That same technique has worked to get me out of bed.

So, yeah, happiness abounds here at Chez Candy.  And when I’m in a good mood on a hot summer day, there is no better TGIF drink than this:

PARTY (pronounced par-tay) SANGRIA

Sangria happens to be one of my specialties; I’ve helped kick off more than a few parties with my “special” (read:  STRONG) recipe.  This particular concoction is modified to make only one glass — and, I promise, is not so strong that it will lead to you drunk-Tweeting about your brother-in-law’s “secret” cross-dressing habit.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 oz. red wine (frankly, any kind will do)
• 1/2 oz. tequila or brandy (I prefer tequila — I guarantee you will not even taste it)
• 1/2 oz. triple sec
• Splash of orange juice
• Splash of 7-Up or ginger ale (you can see which I prefer)
• An apple and an orange (as you can see, I like my oranges dirty with a green tinge… courtesy of 7-Eleven’s top-notch produce section)
• Enough sugar, Splenda, what-have-you to make it as sweet as you like it

INSTRUCTIONS

Stir or shake wine, tequila, triple sec, OJ and sugar with ice.  Pour into ice-filled wine glass.  Top off with 7-Up.  Add apple and orange slices.  Kick back and enjoy your siesta…

Cheers!  And if you should end up tipsily Tweeting about your juicy family secrets, well… at least have the decency to tag me on them so I can be entertained!