Potions mistress (sangria post mortem report)

Dec 14, 2010 17:07

First the back story...... On a UK business trip a few years ago, we had dinner at La Tasca, a Spanish tappas place in Oxford Castle.  Our boss ordered several pitchers of sangria for our table and we had such a lively time that the subject of sangria comes up pretty much every time we let our hair down.  I've been meaning to make up a batch for old times' sake but hadn't gotten around to it until now.

The office Christmas party seemed like a good occasion, so I ended up tripling this recipe for simple sangria for my maiden voyage.  We had 16 people and we ended up with a third of it left over.  Everyone but the one dedicated dieter tried some and at least 2/3 of the attendees had more than one.  Being a daytime office party with the CEO and CFO in attendance, people were being careful.  It was potent stuff.

The hardest part was choosing the wine.  The super market didn't have any of the types mentioned in the recipe.  After about 5-10 minutes I gritted my teeth and snagged a $16 five-litre box of wine and got on with it.    I already forget what kind of wine I used (a sure sign of success!).  [Edit:  Carol Rossi Cabernet Saugivnon, chosen for the fruity notes and oak aging, recommended qualities in one of the articles I was reading on sangria.]  In future batches I'd back down on the sugar by at least a third, more likely by at least half, and maybe try apple cider or ginger ale as the mixer.

Two of Gavin's huge protein powder jugs were perfect for mixing and transport.  Spillproof, shatterproof and easy to get the fruit in.  At home I sliced the oranges and lemons, dumped them in with the sugar, wine, brandy and triple sec and gave it a good stirring.  It sat in the freezer at work for a few hours, then I dumped in ice and 7-Up just before serving.  Punch bowls are festive and fancy and you can see all the fruit, but I prefer pitchers because they aren't as messy, they take up less space, the ice doesn't melt as fast, and refilling them isn't as fraught with potential for disaster.

For atmosphere I brought electric candles for the serving table and made an online playlist of 80's (Tears for Fears, Simple Minds, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Police, Stray Cats, Bowie etc.), Squirrel Nut Zippers, Vince Guaraldi Trio (Charlie Brown holiday music) and some carefully chosen Electric Six and Babyshambles.

My spanikopita triangles went over well.  I was worried that people would think it was strange.  Not many adventurous eaters in my office, but most of it got eaten or people took it home with them, and there were requests for the recipe.

The party went strong for two and a half hours and the CEO and CFO both made a point of coming over to thank me for putting it together, so I think I can call it a win.  ::: relief :::  ::: flop :::

seasons, work, holiday

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