Makeshift Sangria

Let me start off with what's on everyone's mind: the defensive holding that should've been called against the Cowboys last night. In case you missed it, Dallas LB Anthony Hitchens blatantly pulled on TE Brandon Pettigrew's jersey. Pass interference was called then overruled, giving the Lions a fourth down instead of the first down they should've gotten. On their next possession, the Cowboys scored the game-winning touchdown. I really don't understand how they get so lucky all the time - well other than their not being a small market team and bringing in revenue for the league.

To pick myself up from going 3-1 and staring at Excel all day, I decided to treat myself to some sangria because, well, is there ever a day sangria can't fix? Problem #1: this California girl is not enough of an alcoholic to venture outside into the cold to acquire all the various ingredients needed to make a proper sangria. Problem #2: After working 13 hours yesterday, I had no desire to go to a bar/restaurant and be around people. So what's a girl to do? I made a makeshift sangria with what I had in my apartment and it actually ended up being quite delicious!

If you think about it, a basic sangria recipe can broken down into 4 parts: the booze, the citrus, the sweet fruit, and the fizz. You can find some variation of these in your kitchen/fridge. In my case, I used:

1/2 bottle of Malbec (it's only a Monday, guys, so we're taking it easy) as my booze
4 oz. orange juice as my citrus
2 oz. cider (I still had this from holiday celebrations, but I'm sure any apple/mango/peach beverage will do) as my sweet fruit element
Topped off with Fresca as my fizz (Added bonus? Fresca is naturally ZERO calories)

I know it's missing the brandy in a traditional red sangria, but what 25-year-old has that just lying around? Grab some chips and dip and you've got yourself your own little sangria party. Give it a shot and let me know your variations! Cheers!

Sidenote: Those things floating in my glass of sangria? Plastic ice cubes. You can't call yourself a drinker if you don't have them. Cheaper than whiskey stones and they come in different colors #nailedit.