Sparkling Peach Sangria

Happy Monday! Or at least its a pretty happy Monday for me since its my Monday but also my Friday since we are going on vacation tomorrow! YEY!  I wanted to squeeze in one more post before leaving!  This past weekend we visited with college friends and my cousins from California.  It was so great catching up with everyone!

My cousins Tabetha and Thomas, both have grown taller than me!

As you can imagine, when getting together with the college friends in July we like to imbibe refreshing summer cocktails.  Each year when we go to the lake I try to take a batch cocktail to share for those who are interested.  This year I made Sparkling Peach Sangria which was super light and refreshing!  I know this sounds super sweet but I did my best to make it not so.  A lot of the recipes I found used really sweet wines so I re-worked it since I'm more of a dry fan.

Sparkling Peach Sangria
(This makes about 4 liters worth)

Ingredients:
- 2 bottles dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
- 1 small bag of frozen peaches (you could use a couple fresh ones, I had frozen on hand already)
- 1/2 c. to 1 c. peach vodka or schnapps (I used about 3/4 c. but it depends on how strong you like it)
- 5 to 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 (...oz)bottle club soda
- 1 bottle prosecco


Instructions:
- Mix peaches, thyme, vodka/schnapps and wine together in a large pitcher.  Let sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.

- Remove and discard thyme sprigs.
- Mix in club soda and prosecco (try to have these chilled beforehand) when you are ready to serve.
- Serve over ice with optional thyme sprig and peach slice for garnish.

The great thing about batch cocktails is you just mix, chill and serve, not a lot of fuss or muss which is especially great for entertaining!  This actually turned out better than I expected.  I was worried it would be too sweet even with making it with dry wines but it turned out just right!  If you prefer things on the sweeter side use a Riesling or Moscato.  Everyone that tried it seemed to like it and we put a good dent in it the first night.  You can easily halve the recipe or just use one less bottle of wine to make a smaller batch.

Off to Smith Mountain Lake we go!  Chris and I are very ready for some relaxation lakeside.  Stay tuned for a yummy summer veggie recipe and the rest of the breakfast treat recipes I promised!

Cheers!
Steph