Spring has arrived which means the barbecue season is about to begin depending on where you live. Where I come from, we don’t really care how cold it gets just as long as the propane tank is full. It could be -30 Celsius and we’d still be grilling steaks. But I digress. I want to share a couple recipes with you, which will make spending time on the patio, deck or backyard with friends more enjoyable.
 
Rather than going for the bottle of beer, why not try cold drinks that can be made out of wine. The wine you use for these recipes doesn’t have to be expensive either. For example you could find a decent red Zinfandel or a Pinot Noir at a very decent price.

  1 Bottle of red wine (Zinfandel or Pinot Noir)
  1 Lemon cut into wedges
  1 Orange cut into wedges
  2 Tbsp sugar
  1 Shot brandy
  2 Cups club soda

Pour it all into a pitcher except for the club soda. Squeeze the juice from the lemon and orange wedges into the pitcher. Try to leave the seeds out but toss the wedges in. Chill overnight. Add club soda just before serving. If you'd like to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over lots of ice. This recipe is good for four (4) people. My quick, one-or-two-person version of this recipe would be as follows.

In a tall glass with ice pour 4 ounces of red wine and top it up with ginger ale. Add a fruit wedge if you like. That is it!

Here’s a white wine version:

  1 Bottle of your favorite white wine
  1 Lemon cut into wedges
  1 Orange cut into wedges
  1 Lime cut into wedges
  1 Peach cut into wedges
  1 Cup sliced strawberries
  1/2 Cup lemonade or limeade
  1/2 Cup Sugar
  2 shots of apricot, peach or "berry" flavored brandy
  2 Cups club soda Optional: one can of diced pineapple pieces with juice

And please, please don’t go buy a Chateau-Neuf-Du-Pape or a Chateau-Grand-Puy-Lacoste to mix in a sangria. Have that for a nice romantic dinner instead.