Barcelona Memories!

My Aunt and Uncle took my brother, my cousin and me on a Mediterranean cruise last summer.  We flew to Barcelona and spent a day there before boarding this hugely-gigantic cruise ship.  But before that, my Aunt and I were on a mission to find the best sangria.

It was not a mission that we took lightly.  

I think we tired 4 or 5 different pitchers of the refreshing summer liquid, before we found our favorite place. 

And you know what, we couldn't remember the name or where it was.

Lucky for us that my Uncle is really good with remembering where things are located.  He was actually able to remember where this place was a whole week later.  

And it wasn't just any week, it was filled with sunning, drinking, walking, drinking, laughing, learning, eating, drinking and so on.

When we docked back in Barcelona, we wanted to have another glass or two before we left.

He didn't let us down, he weaved the streets of Barcelona like a local.

And we got our pitcher.

It's been almost a year since then.  I haven't forgotten about my beloved drink.

So I made myself a pitcher.  It's delicious!  

The apples are seriously like little wine-bombs that explode in your mouth.

What you'll need*:

2 bottles of red wine (I used a Zinfandel)

3 apples, cut into cubes (I used 2 green and 1 red)

1 orange, cut into slices

2 lemons, cut into slices

5 cups ginger-ale

1/2 cup orange juice

2 shots vodka or triple sec

How you do it:

Pour wine into a pitcher and add fruit.  Refrigerate and let it cool for 24 hours.  This allows the fruit to absorb some of the wine.  (To serve immediately, you'll want to start out with chilled wine.)  When you are ready to serve it, add ginger-ale, orange juice and vodka.

Serve it in a wine glass and stay cool in the summer heat!

*This recipe was my starting point.

Limoncello: Deliciousness in a Bottle

Limoncello. Just say the word and I come a runnin'. Seriously, I love the stuff. It's sweet and sour and potent and pretty much deliciousness in a bottle.

It's one of those drinks that I've always enjoyed, yet never questioned how it ended up on the table. I'm pretty sure it was just a mysterious joy on a liquor store shelf, there to provide me with instant gratification.

It wasn't until I visited my parents and my dad presented me with a homemade version of "deliciousness in a bottle" that I realized that that particular instant gratification could be made at home. Granted homemade isn't as instant, more like a two-week process, but the idea of making limoncello at home had such a ring to it.

Say it out loud: "Homemade limoncello. Homemade deliciousness in a bottle". Unless you are at work or somewhere in public, then you probably shouldn't say it out loud. You could always just say it in your head. Doesn't it sound lovely? I think so...

My roommate, Amy and I threw around the idea of making it and with our respective birthdays on the horizon, Sunday seemed like a great time as any.

The recipe we used is an adaption of Nick Bova's, Stewart Silver's and the lovely Giada De Laurentiis's:

12 Lemons

25 ounces of 100 Proof Vodka

3 1/2 cups Water

2 1/2 cups Sugar

Remove peel from lemons using a vegetable peeler or a cheese grater. Make sure there is no white pith on the peel, it will make the limoncello bitter (and no one likes bitter limoncello). Place lemon peels/zest in a 2-quart pitcher and pour in the vodka. Let the lemon steep for at least 2 weeks.

After the lemons have steeped make a simple syrup. Stir the water and the sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar completely dissolves. This will take about 5 minutes. Let the simple syrup cool completely. While it's cooling strain the vodka of the lemon peels/zest and throw out the peels/zest. Once the vodka is clear of the add the simple syrup to the bottle.

Reseal the bottle and put in the freezer for at least 4 hours and up to one month.

*Amy's dad like to use 2 cups water, 1/2 cup lemon juice and 2 1/2 cups sugar. This is his version of the simple syrup. And while it isn't necessarily traditional limoncello, it's definitely worth trying. It adds a little bit more lemon flavor and helps dilute the vodka.