Happy New Year’s Eve! This season always makes me turn reflective on what has been accomplished, and what new goals lay ahead for the new year. Truth be told, I don’t really like to set resolutions so much as personal benchmarks, and I’ve been lucky enough to cross off most of those checkpoints from my list for 2019. It has been such an eventful time to grow & create!
This past year, I chose to take more risks, like saying ‘yes’ to more opportunities. Where I may have walked away from such things in years past, I pushed ahead full throttle (and scared out of my wits!), to accept as much as I could squeeze in! This change in attitude has led to amazing things: TV appearances, Instagram collaborations, product giveaways, new friendships in the food & lifestyle fields, and now – joining the LiketoKnow.it app family.
These last twelve months have been full of truly big milestones for ‘Straight to the Hips, Baby’. I remain grateful to my readers, and of course to my dear family & friends for their support & love. Every time a friend or stranger shares that they’ve made one of my recipes, and gained confidence in their own cooking skills, it fills me with such happiness! After all, that’s my mission: to teach home cooks that there is nothing to fear in the kitchen, or in entertaining at home! Really, I’m still tickled pink that anyone at all is reading my little blog about cooking & hosting!
To celebrate the closing of one year and the welcoming of another, I’ve created a bright & festive New Year’s cocktail! My Holiday Frozen Sangria hits all of the right notes for a joyous New Year’s celebration, and is perfect to serve at a party. Made to be a batch drink (to keep you from being stuck with continuous prep work!), I decided to go with a juicy Chablis wine, and paired it with mixed frozen berries, clementines, orange liquor, and my own Spiced Simple Syrup. Well rounded flavors – and a hint of wintery spice from the simple syrup – really move the traditional sangria recipe into a wintertime wonder!
Stay tuned for more exciting events by following me on Instagram, Facebook, and Bloglovin at @straighttothehipsbaby! I’m so thrilled to share that I will be launching a brand-new sparkling website in the next few months, as well as continuing to appear on NBC-22’s Mass Appeal show! Expect lots of cooking & home entertaining fun coming in 2020!
Happy New Year! May we all enjoy peace, love, & laughter in the year to come!
Holiday Frozen Sangria
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
- 2 cups Chablis
- 1/3 cup Cointreau
- 2 cups mixed frozen berries
- ¼ cup spiced simple syrup (recipe included at bottom of post)
- 2 clementines or tangerines, peeled
- Raspberries or citrus twists for garnish
Place all of the ingredients into a large blender. Pulse to start and then blend for 30 seconds, or until fully smooth. Pour into your desired glasses and garnish with a twist of orange peel or a cocktail stick of raspberries.
Holiday Frozen Sangria
Ingredients
- 2 cups Chablis
- 1/3 cup Cointreau
- 2 cups mixed frozen berries
- ¼ cup spiced simple syrup*
- 2 clementines or tangerines peeled
- Raspberries or citrus twists for garnish
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients into a large blender. Pulse to start and then blend for 30 seconds, or until fully smooth. Pour into your desired glasses and garnish with a twist of orange peel or a cocktail stick of raspberries.
Spiced Simple Syrup
Ingredients
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 cup of water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5 green cardamom pods cracked
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients into a medium sized pot and give a quick stir. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Once at a boil, let cook for two minutes, or until all the sugar has dissolved. Take off the heat and let cool slightly. Strain the syrup in a small sieve into a glass jelly jar. Dispose of the leftover cooked spices. Cover and chill. Can be used for up to seven days.
How lovely! I never thought of serving sangria in the winter, but this sounds like a perfect seasonal blend.
Thank you! This version is so versatile and a crowd pleaser! I could totally see serving this frozen cocktail on a hot evening and maybe subbing a naval orange for the two clementines!