RECIPE: STRAWBERRY PEAR SANGRIA

Are you entertaining a crowd this weekend? Here's a recipe that is not only delicious, it is inexpensive to serve for a large party. And it tastes as good as it looks! I had this as a cocktail at Ray's Boathouse in Seattle; a wonderful waterfront seafood restaurant. I've tweaked the original to make it for a crowd and included a some pomegranate and a little club soda. Scroll down to get a seasonal variation for holiday sangria. Perfect for a holiday open house or large gathering.

While traditionally made with red wine Sangria can be made with any variation of fruit and wine including sparkling white wine, Prosecco, or Cava. Change the fruit and the wine choice to the season. 

STRAWBERRY PEAR SANGRIA

Serves 6-8

1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced

1 teaspoon sugar

1 each lemon, lime, and orange, cut into thin slices

1 pear, sliced

2 cups Pear Vodka (Absolut or Grey Goose)

1 bottle White Wine (use something crisp)

1/2 cup Pomegranate juice (I often use Pama Liqueur instead if I have it)

Club Soda

Muddle the strawberry and the citrus fruit with the sugar in a large pitcher to release the juices. Add the remaining ingredients. You can serve this immediately but it's even better if it has a chance to sit for 4 hours or more. I like to chill it for at least 2 hours before serving but you can serve it over ice. Top with club soda to taste at serving.   

SEASONAL VARIATION: HOLIDAY SANGRIA

Add some cranberries in place of the lemon and white cranberry juice cocktail in place of the pomegranate juice. A splash of Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur is a nice touch but not required. I often add a sprig of rosemary and let that infuse for a few minutes only because the taste is strong. Garnish with cranberries on a skewer.

RECIPE: CHRIS LILLY'S GRILLED PEACH SANGRIA

Here’s the Grilled Sangria recipe from Chris’ Lilly's new book, Fire & Smoke. If you buy the book from the Big Bob Gibson’s website, Chris will sign it for you and ship it directly from the restaurant.

GRILLED PEACH SANGRIA

FROM: CHEF CHRIS LILLY

FIRE & SMOKE: A PITMASTER’S SECRETS (Clarkson Potter) 

Serves: 8 to 10

Cooking method: Direct heat

Cooking time: 2 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup sugar

2 peaches, peeled and cut into quarters

1 lemon, sliced

1 orange, sliced

1/2 cup peach brandy or schnapps

1/2 cup frozen lemonade concentrate

1/2 cup Triple Sec

1/3 cup orange juice

1 (750 ml) bottle dry red wine

2 cups club soda

DIRECTIONS:

Build a charcoal fire for direct grilling and preheat it to 450°F.

In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, peaches, lemons, and oranges.

Immediately put the fruit on the grill over direct heat and grill until the sugar caramelizes, about 1 minute on each side. Remove the fruit from the grill and set aside.

In a blender, combine the peach brandy, frozen lemonade, Triple Sec, orange juice, and the grilled peaches. Blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a large pitcher, add the red wine, and stir well. Add the grilled lemon and orange slices and refrigerate until served.

To serve, add the club soda to the pitcher and mix well. Serve over ice.

GET GRILLING TIPS FROM MEMPHIS IN MAY GRAND CHAMPION CHRIS LILLY

MAKE A LEMONADE STATION FOR EASY ENTERTAINING

Think old-school lemonade stand meets fun, fabulous mix-ins to create a new spin on that old summer standard. Lemonade is a great drink for summer parties. Whether you make it fresh, buy it at the store, or use a powdered mix, it's hard to go wrong with cold lemonade on a hot day. Here are some of my fun ideas to dress up your lemonade by making a lemonade station- an adult version of the old-school lemonade stand- perfect for any party,  wedding, rehearsal dinner, or supper club!

Creating a lemonade station will give your guests lots of choices and allow them to serve themselves making beverage service a lot easier!

Making a lemonade stand doesn't require a lot of wood and building, a simple table will work. Recently, I wanted to show Daytime Alabama viewers how to make a lemonade stand for a large party or wedding and asked my friends Corey & Jared from the Sonnet House to help me out. Corey decked out the table and I did the lemonades. Burlap from the fabric store, Mason jars, and large containers of lemonade, cute paper straws, and a big sign are all you need

At The Sonnet House in Leeds, Alabama with my good friends Jared and Corey. Corey created the lovely table with tulips, lemons, and yellow and white chevron runners and I made the lemonade!

THE HOW-TO

Start with large containers or pitchers of lemonade. Add bowls of your favorite flavors: think spices, fruit, herbs, liquor, or even Kool-Aid mixes for the kids. Be creative. Almost anything tastes good with lemonade as the base!

When I am in a hurry or on the road without a kitchen, I buy pre-made lemonade from the store.Simply Lemonade is the best if I have to buy at a grocery. If I am in the South, I often get the  Chic-fil-A gallon lemonade to go. Expensive but worth it. Those are my favorites if I cannot make my own. If you use the CountryTime or other powdered mix, add the juice of two lemons and lots of lemon slices into it; makes it taste better. I always prefer the fresh lemonade when time, budget, and location allow :) 

I like to put out a little menu board to give guests some ideas of flavors that work well together. I write them on a chalkboard but you can write or print recipes.

BASIC LEMONADE RECIPE

 It's really simple. Four cups of water to one cup fresh squeezed lemon juice plus 1/2 cup of sugar. That's it!

To make enough for 4-5 servings:

2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 cup sugar (more to taste if you like it really sweet)

7-8 cups water

In a pitcher, add the sugar and the lemon juice and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Add the water and chill.

Serving Tips:On a hot day, I will use 1 cup less water because I know the lemonade will become diluted with the melting ice. Often, I will freeze lemonade into ice cubes or freeze large plastic containers of lemonade. I put the lemonade into a large plastic milk jug or other repurposed plastic bottle. Freeze solid. A few hours before the party, I remove them from the freezer and allow them to become slushy. Soooo good on a hot day!

MIX-INS AND OPTIONS FOR A LEMONADE STATION

Mint leaves

Basil leaves

Strawberries, sliced plus strawberry puree

Raspberries

Watermelon slices plus watermelon puree

Peach slices plus peach nectar (find it in a can in the international aisle of the store)

Lime wheels

Lemon wheels

Sweet Tea

Grenadine

Vodka - I usually include a plain vodka and one flavored, like citrus or raspberry flavored

Chambord Liqueur

Bourbon

Pama Liqueur

VARIATIONS ON THE CLASSIC LEMONADE RECIPE:

PINK LEMONADE

Perfect for kids and adults, too!

Add a tablespoon of Grenadine to the basic recipe. Stir well to color your lemonade bright pink. If you want a soft pink color, for a baby shower, for example, use less grenadine.

ARNOLD PALMER

Half iced tea, half lemonade.

ARNOLD PALMER WITH SPIKES

Add a shot of vodka (I use citrus flavored) to your Arnold Palmer.

CHERRY LEMONADE

Add 1 ounce cherry vodka, 3 maraschino cherries and a 1 teaspoon cherry juice to each glass of lemonade. Add a squeeze of lime.

PEACH TEA LEMONADE

1/3 each peach nectar, sweet tea, and classic lemonade per serving.

MINT INFUSED LEMONADE

Add a big handful of fresh mint leaves to the sugar and one cup of the water. Make a mint simple syrup. Equal parts sugar and water. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add 25 or so fresh mint leaves. Allow to cool completely. Strain the syrup into a mason jar, discard the leaves. Add to your pitcher and add the lemon juice and the remaining water.  

POMEGRANATE LEMONADE

Add a shot of Pama Liqueur. Yummmmy!

KENTUCKY LEMONADE

Put  4 fresh mint leaves into the bottom of the glass. Add a little ice. Use a wooden spoon to bruise the mint with the ice. Add 1 1/2 ounces Kentucky bourbon and fill the glass with lemonade. My Kentucky bourbon of choice right now is Four Roses. Their Yellow Label is perfect for this drink... side note, the single barrel is really good on it's own.