Bleeding Heart Martini  (okay not a wine recipe but I love pickled beets!)

Ingredients

• 2 ounces dry vermouth
• 8 ounces premium gin
• Ice cubes
• 4 pickled baby beets, each placed on a cocktail skewer

Method

1. Chill 4 martini glasses in the freezer or fill with ice water and let sit until frosty, about 5 minutes (pour out water).
   
2. Add the vermouth, dividing evenly; swirl to coat the glasses, then pour out.
   
3. Add gin to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
   
4. Shake vigorously until chilled.
5. Divide among chilled glasses.
6. Garnish each with a skewered pickled baby beet, and serve immediately.

   recipe modified from Martha Stewart Recipes October 2009 Edition

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Bloody Scary  (oh no - brings back memories of Black Cherry Vodka .......)

Ingredients

• 4 ounces dry sparkling white wine
• 1 ounce freshly squeezed blood orange juice
• 1/2 ounce Campari liquer
• 1 ounce Black Cherry vodka, chilled

Method

1. In a champagne flute, combine wine, orange juice and Campari.
   
2. Pour vodka over the back of a cocktail spoon into glass creating a layer of black.
   
3. Serve immediately.

   recipe modified from Martha Stewart Recipes October 2009 Edition

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Sangria Jelly Drops

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup simple syrup (recipe below)
• 3 tbsps of unflavoured gelatin crystals
• 2 cups of red wine
• 1/2 cup orange flavoured brandy or liqueur
• 1 orange

Method

1. Pour the simple syrup into a small saucepan
2. Sprinkle gelatin on top and stir to combine
3. Let stand until gelatin softens, approximately 2 minutes
4. Place this mixture over low heat and stir until all of the gelatin has dissolved, careful not to boil.
5. Stir the wine and brandy into the gelatin mixture and continue stirring slowly for 1 minute.
6. Pour into an 8 inch glass baking dish
7. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firmly set
8. Wash and dry the orange
9. Remove strips of rind using a vegetable peeler and scrap away all of the white pith from the rind
10. Slice the rind into very thin strands about 1/2 inch long
11. Cut the set jelly into 3/4 inch cubes and remove from pan using a rubber spatula.
12. Garnish each cube with strands of orange peel slices before serving.

Recipe for Simple Syrup

Ingredients

• 3 cups each granulated sugar and water

Method

1. Combine sugar and water in a saucepan
2. Set over medium high heat and cook, stirring until sugar is dissolved and mixture clarifies (6-10 minutes)
3. Cool to room temperature
4. Store in sterilized jar, cover tightly
5. Can be refrigerated up to 3 weeks.

recipe modified from Spring 2009 Food & Drink edition

Glamour Girls' Martini - Girl's night out just got brighter with this version!

Ingredients

• 3 oz Pinot Grigio
• 1 oz Peach Snapps
• Splash of cranberry juice
• Maraschino cherries for garnish

Method

1. Pour first 3 ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice
2. Shake well
3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
4. Drop a cherry in for garnish
5. Enjoy!
   

Sangria - Basic recipe

Ingredients

• 1 bottle of red wine
  
• 1 lemon cut into wedges
• 1 orange cut into wedges
• 1 TBSP sugar
• 1 shot of brandy
• 2 cups of ginger ale or club soda

Method

1. Pour wine into a pitcher
2. Squeeze the juice from the lemon & orange wedges into the wine
3. Toss the wedges into the wine
4. Add sugar & brandy
5. Chill overnight
6. Add ginger ale or club soda just before serving

If you want to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over ice

Additional possibilities - sliced strawberries, kiwi or peaches, a handful of blueberries, raspberries.  Instead of brandy try gin or rum.

Raspberry & Pepper Sangria

Ingredients

• 1 small carton of raspberries
• 1 small carton of strawberries
• 1 lime
• 2 apples, granny smith and cortland
  
• 1 jalapeño pepper (or serrano pepper if available)
  
• 1 bottle of Viognier wine
  
• 1/2 cup of white grape juice
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1 can of club soda
• Mint leaves for garnish

Method

1. Finely dice both the apples and strawberries
2. Slice the pepper and lime into fairly thick slices
3. Layer all of the different fruits in a tall pitcher adding a dash of sugar in between each layer
4. After layering all of the fruit add the sliced pepper and the remaining sugar
5. Let sit for 10 minutes
6. Add the bottle of Viognier to the fruit and sugar mixture
7. Add the white grape juice
8. Add the club soda
9. Chill
   
10. Serve* into wine glasses
11. Add mint leaves for garnish 

* serve with, or without, the pepper