Happy Hour: Grilled Cherry And Vanilla Summer Sangria

Dine X Design Recipe | Grilled Cherry And Vanilla Summer Sangria Did you hear that!?

Summertime just showed up... and it's thirsty.

In fact, it's demanding a tall glass of sangria and a backyard celebration in honor of the longer days and warmer breeze. We think you should listen to the season and get on board....so we've been on the look out for the perfect outdoor cocktail that could be easily assembled right in your own backyard.

Luckily our DxD cocktail corespondent, Elana Lepkowski, knows a thing or two about these types of drinks and put together the perfect concoction for the occasion!

It's officially sangria time folks -- So fire up the BBQ, because it's not just for your hotdogs this go around!

Grilled Cherry And Vanilla Summer Sangria | Dine X Design

Sangria is always my go-to summer weekend drink. I make a pitcher up Friday evening and by the time Saturday happy hour rolls around (I'd say 11am is a good starting point), the drink is ready to go. It's a forgiving drink, where you can either use fancy ingredients or just whatever fruit is starting to look sad on your counter. Same goes with the booze; that O.K. bottle of wine will take on fantastic flavors if you let it chill out with some grilled fruit in a pitcher for a few days. So don't be shy about it, go treat yourself to a goblet (or two) of some summery sangria this weekend.

~Elana Lepkowski

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Grilled Cherry And Vanilla Summer Sangria:

ingredients:

1/2 cup grilled cherries 5-6 meyer lemon slices 1/3 cup vanilla syrup 1 ounce orgeat 3 ounces Averna Amaro 1 bottle white wine (we used Cercius, a blend of 70% grenache blanc, 30% Sauvignon Blanc) vanilla beans for garnish

Grilled Cherry And Vanilla Summer Sangria | Dine X Design

instructions:

For the cherries: oil grates of your grill or grill pan with a neutral oil, like canola, and heat until hot. Skewer cherries and place on grill, rotating every 2-3 minutes until all sides are lightly charred, but not burned. Remove from grill and set aside.

For the vanilla syrup: combine 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar and 2-3 vanilla beans, split and chopped into 2" pieces into a small sauce pan over medium-high heat. As soon as the mixture starts to simmer, remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove vanilla beans and transfer syrup to an air-tight container. Syrup will last in refrigerator for 2 weeks.

To assemble the Sangria: In the bottom of a pitcher, add lemon slices and cherries and then pour syrup, orgeat, Averna and the wine. Let sit at least a day for the flavors to mingle.

To serve: Fill glasses with ice and add sangria. Make sure to add some of the fruit from the pitcher into each glass. Garnish with a vanilla bean.

Grilled Cherry And Vanilla Summer Sangria | Dine X Design

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An elegant, but super easy, play on a summer classic. This sangria is sweet, tart and ready to turn your backyard into a paradise hideaway patched with inviting blankets and cool sipping drinks. Invite the friends over and get ready to relax in the shade.

Gosh, that just sounds like perfection - we'll see you at six!

Wishing you a delightful start to the season - Cheers friends and have a lovely weekend!

Grilled Cherry And Vanilla Summer Sangria | Dine X Design