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Absinthe-Minded Sangria

Jennifer Tyldesley, of beloved Free Pour Jenny’s fame, created this recipe in 2018 for our collaborative cookbook, Add Light and Stir, Cocktails and Savouries for a Northern Summer. Jenn has closed her business now, and the book is out of print, but many of us have hung on to her bitters and mete them out on special occasions.
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Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 oz absinthe — try Port Chilkoot Distillery Green Siren
  • 4 oz brandy or cognac
  • A handful of low-bush cranberries
  • Half each of a lemon a lime, and an orange or tangerine
  • 1 750 ml bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah or Zinfandel
  • 2 cups sweetened cranberry juice recipe follows
  • 12 oz sparkling lemonade--try San Pellegrino*
  • 2 droppers-full Free Pour Jenny’s Absinthe-Minded Bitters**
  • *Substitute 2 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 Tbsp sugar and 11 oz soda water.
  • **If you don’t have any Absinthe-Minded Bitters left in the larder increase the absinthe to 1 oz.

Instructions
 

  • Cut citrus fruit halves into quarters and slice each quarter into thin triangles. Place citrus and cranberries in a 2-litre jar or a large bowl.
  • Add absinthe, red wine, cranberry juice and bitters. Stir, cover, and chill for several hours.
  • Just before serving, split the ingredients between two pitchers or two 1-litre Mason jars (wonderfully transportable for potluck gatherings) and add half the sparkling lemonade.
  • Serve over ice in big red wine glasses or 250 ml Mason jars.

Notes

Makes 2 800 ml pitchers of Sangria.