Basil-Infused Strawberry Peach Sangria

I suddenly had the urge to make some peach sangria yesterday and we were headed to my friend’s house for dinner. It seemed like the perfect thing to bring to go with our barbecue on an unseasonably warm spring night. We had chile lime burgers and chicken drumsticks, salad, strawberries and sangria on the patio. It was a lovely meal with  lovely friends. And we got to meet their new puppy. She is SO adorable.

Last summer my parents went on a peach canning spree. They decided instead of buying the cans of peaches at the store for the grandchildren to eat in the wintertime, they would just can the wonderful fresh peaches they had. So they canned a bunch … well they didn’t all get eaten over the winter like they planned and they ended up with too many peaches in their pantry. Which means I was the lucky recipient of some home-canned peaches. Woo hoo!

This sangria was such a nice refreshing drink. The basil adds a little subtle hint of taste to it that really makes it wonderful.

Basil-Infused Strawberry Peach Sangria

Basil-Infused Peach Syrup

• 1 cup peach juice (the light syrup from canned peaches works well)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened peach-flavored iced tea (I used Lipton Peach Pomegranate Green iced tea)
• a handful of fresh basil leaves

• 1 750 ml bottle of white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
• 2 Tablespoons orange liqueur or Grand Marnier
• A few kumquats or an orange or two, sliced or cut into wedges
• Fresh strawberries
• Fresh or frozen peach slices
• Optional: sparkling water or sprite

Directions:

First, make the basil-infused syrup: In a small saucepan, mix the peach juice, sugar, tea, and basil leaves. Heat over medium high heat till boiling, and boil for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and strain out the basil leaves. Set in the fridge or the freezer to chill.

Once the syrup has chilled, mix the basil-infused syrup with the wine, fruit, and orange liqueur. I think it would be fun to make ice cubes out of some of the liquid at this point, but I hadn’t planned ahead enough for that … I just froze my peach slices to keep the sangria nice and cold.

Put the fruit in the pitcher and add the wine mixture. If you want it bubbly, add a cup of sparkling water or sprite. If it’s too sweet for your tastes, add some of the unsweetened peach tea. Make sure to scoop some of the fruit into each glass as you serve the sangria. Eating the fruit at the end makes a lovely little dessert at the end of your drink.

This recipe was shared at  Talent Show Tuesdays, Trick or Treat Tuesdays, Cast Party Wednesdays, and Full Plate Thursday.