Exotic Citrus Sangria

Miguel Lancha | Washington, D.C.

Created for a private event in Augusta, Georgia, this sangria features a blend of citrus and bubbles for a fragrant, nontraditional take on Spain’s famous wine cocktail.

Ingredients

Servings: 8

  • 750 ml bottle cava
  • 750 ml bottle cava
  • 3 ounces bianco vermouth, preferably Mancino
  • 3 ounces bianco vermouth, preferably Mancino
  • 5 ounces exotic citrus syrup (see Editor’s Note)
  • 5 ounces exotic citrus syrup (see Editor’s Note)

Garnish: 8 4- or 5-inch pieces of lemongrass

Directions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a pitcher and stir gently to mix.
  2. To serve, divide among 8 rocks glasses over large ice cubes.
  3. Garnish each glass with a piece of lemongrass inserted like a straw.
Editor's Note

Exotic Citrus Syrup
75 grams Buddha’s hand peels, thinly sliced
65 grams raw sugar
50 grams Meyer lemon peels, thinly sliced
35 grams lemongrass, chopped
25 grams calamansi peels, thinly sliced
3 ounces gin

Combine the first five ingredients in a sous-vide or resealable plastic bag. Vacuum-seal and let the mixture sit for about 3 hours to extract the oil from the peels. The sugar should melt into a syrupy consistency, yielding about 2 ounces of thick liquid. Stir in gin, then strain. This should yield about 5 ounces total.