When life hands you loads of late-summer fruit, make sangría. Specifically, this sangría. Conjured up by Suzie Whitacre, bar manager at Salero in the West Loop, it’s packed with peak-season peaches and raspberries and spiked with vermouth and vodka. This fruity cooler may be as pretty as a sundress, but it packs a punch.
Suzie Whitacre’s Peach and Raspberry Sangría
Serves:4
| 1½ cups | Water |
| ¾ cup | Sugar |
| 1½ cups plus 1 cup | Sliced fresh peaches, pitted |
| ½ cup plus 1 cup | Raspberries |
| 1 tsp. plus 1½ tsp. | Freshly squeezed lemon juice |
| ½ cup | Vodka |
| ½ cup | Red vermouth |
| ¼ cup | White Rioja (or other dry white wine) |
| ¼ cup | Red Rioja (or other dry red wine) |
1. Make a simple syrup: Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. In a blender, purée 1½ cups peaches, ½ cup raspberries, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and simple syrup. Strain through a sieve.
3. Pour ½ cup of the purée, the remaining lemon juice, and the alcohol into a 32-ounce pitcher. Stir well. Add the remaining fruit and chill until serving. Reserve extra purée (see tip).
4. Serve over ice.
Tip: Freeze the leftover purée in Popsicle-style molds for a light dessert.