STAR SPANGLED SANGRIA
Ingredients
2/3 cup raw agave syrup
2 cups. fresh blueberries
½ cup filtered water- room temperature or hot
1 750 mL bottle rosé (wine not champagne, try to choose a more sweet and fruit-forward rosé rather than a mineral dry or acidic one)
2/3 cups freshly squeezed orange juice (from about 2 large oranges)
2/3 cranberry juice
1/2 cup All American Bourbon (I like Bullet but any authentic Kentucky Bourbon will work well)
1-2 shots Grand Marnier or Cointreau
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, rinsed
Juice of 1 lime
Juice of ½ a lemon
Garnish: 1 cup of watermelon *stars* watch the video to learn how-to, 1 cup blueberries (prepare a small plate of extra blueberries and watermelon stars for garnishing each glass as you serve the sangria)
Method
1. In a high powered blender, vitamix or blentec combine the agave with the filtered water and 2 cups of fresh blueberries. Process on high until the mixture is combined into a blueberry juice.
2. Strain the juice with a mesh strainer over a bowl, and press any solid mixture to maximize the amount of juice you get out of the blueberries. Discard the solids, and pour the blueberry juice mix into a large pitcher followed by fresh orange juice, cranberry juice, bourbon, Grand Marnier, lemon & lime juice. Then add the rosemary sprigs to the pitcher and the entire bottle of rosé. Stir to combine.
3. Finish by adding the a handful of more blueberries. Place the pitcher, covered with plastic wrap, in the fridge to cool for 1-2 hrs, or until very cold.
To serve, fill glasses with 3-5 ice cubes and pour the cold sangria over the ice. Garnish each glass with a few of the watermelon *stars* watch the video to learn how-to and blueberries a add a fun color straw to make it truly festive!
