Blood-Red Sangria Cocktail {Recipe}

Thirsting for Blood...Red Sangria? This citrusy martini gets its striking layered appearance from drops of sangria-inspired simple syrup made from red wine and dark sweet cherries (after all, “sangria” means “bleeding” in Spanish!). An “impaled” cherry adds the finishing touch.

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Total Time: 45 Minutes

Makes: 1 Serving

Ingredients

Sangria Simple Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup red wine, such as Merlot or Zinfandel
1 cup dark sweet cherries, stemmed, pitted and halved
1 stick cinnamon
Strips of orange peel from 1 medium orange (orange part only)

Sangria Martini Cocktail
Ice cubes
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 oz) citron (citrus) vodka
2 tablespoons (1 oz) clear orange-flavored liqueur
2 tablespoons (1 oz) sangria simple syrup, chilled (above)
1 dark sweet cherry on a cocktail pick

Preparation

1. To make simple syrup, in 1 1/2-quart saucepan, mix sangria simple syrup ingredients. Heat to boiling over medium heat. Simmer 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; let cool 30 minutes. Strain mixture through fine mesh strainer; discard solids. Cover and chill sangria syrup until ready to use. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.
2. To make cocktail, fill cocktail shaker with ice. Add vodka and orange liqueur to cocktail shaker; cover and shake. Strain into martini glass. Drizzle sangria syrup into cocktail in glass. Garnish with cherry.

Expert Tips

Use a vegetable peeler to remove strips of orange peel. Be sure to remove only the orange part of the peel; the white part, called pith, is bitter.

Recipe courtesy of Betty Crocker Fan Fare, where you can fun and delicious food ideas that bring your favorite TV genres to life!

Disclosure: Recipe provided by Betty Crocker through MyBlogSpark. I was not compensated in any way for this post.