a pretty damn tasty sangria

Sangria for Cinco de Mayo (observed)

big bottle of Turning Leaf merlot (or other dry-ish red wine in the $15-for-1.5-liter range)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup second-shelf-from-the-bottom brandy (E&J would do nicely, or Christian Brothers)
1 lemon, well washed and sliced as thin as is practical
1 orange, ditto
2 apples, diced.


Put the orange and lemon slices in a big bowl (ideally metal or pyrex, as porous substances might get stained.) Muddle them gently with the bottom of a ladle, the back of a spoon, or a potato masher or actual muddling tool. Add the sugar, stir, and muddle more. Add the brandy, stir, muddle a bit more, and let sit whilst you (just frinstance) do several days' worth of dinner dishes. Pour in wine, stir, let sit (ideally but not necessarily in the fridge) whilst you do some more dishes. Taste. Adjust sweetness and tartness by adding more sugar or some lemon juice.

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

To sum up: the new Star Trek movie is FRICKIN' AWESOME.

( It was especially awesome to me because I was almost totally unspoiled, so I suggest that even if you don't usually avoid spoilers, you might want to this time )

( ETA meta-fandom-ical comment from BreadAndRoses )