A Lazy Girl's Sangria

This past week was a stressful one for me. It’s the start of a new year and work is moving at a zillion miles an hour. When I got home on Friday night, I was 1000% ready for a drink.

Red wine—cab sav or blend—is often my drink of choice. Sometimes I’ll opt for a simple gin cocktail, but lately it’s been wine all the time. Thing is, I’m not always in the mood for, well, just wine. Especially when I’m drinking it alongside a dinner salad…I want that extra splash of flavor—a bit of pizzaz. I’ve tried adding a bunch of things to my wine like ice, cranberry juice, and sparkling water. Those all work by the way, but here’s the exact combo I’ve landed on lately:

One glass red wine + one fruit popsicle + slices of fresh fruit

Can you spot the heart-shaped shadow in this pic? So cool!

Rocket science, am I right?

I’ve dubbed it the Lazy Girl Sangria (LSG). Technically, a sangria is a Spanish punch of sorts made of red wine, fruits, spices, and other goodies. I feel like the LSG kind of falls into the realm of possible sangrias?

When it comes to choosing red wine for this LSG, I like to go with something affordable. I often pick up a Menage a Trois or Cupcake wine but I’m trying all sorts at the moment that meet the $7 - $16 range. Recently, a couple of coworkers suggested Decoy as good cab sav choice that’s a tier above my usual. I tried it and liked it but it’s in the $20+ range so I think I’ll save it to drink on its own. Plus, I think my coworkers would find my doctoring of the wine shameful…

Now, why the popsicle? Well, for one, it acts like ice cubes and cools down the wine. I don’t know why but I like my alcohol cold when I’m in the comfort of my own home (read: covered in blankets). The popsicle also adds a fruity kick to the drink. At the moment, I’ve been using the Outshine brand in strawberry, specifically the skinny ones. The one pictured tastes good but I will admit it’s too big and adds too much sweetness to the LSG so I actually don’t recommend it unless you like your drink super sweet. By using a thinner popsicle, you get the added benefit of the ice and sugar but you don’t run the risk of your drink becoming too sweet or watered down.

As for the cut up fruit, it’s up to you! I like adding pineapples and strawberries and raspberries because they’re my favorites. I think orange slices or even a bit of lime and pear could be nice.

In future iterations of this LSG, I plan on trying it with orange popsicles and tangy fruits!

If you end up giving this a go and liking it, please let me know! If you think this concoction sounds horrifying, it’s honestly probably not for you and that’s cool, too.