Summertime Cocktail: Patriotic Sangria

With the many barbecues to attend this summer, and over the July 4th holiday, why not bring something a little different to the party? A red, white and blue cocktail, perhaps?

Palisadian author and mixologist Jordan Catapano shares a recipe for Patriotic Sangria. She says it takes just about 10 minutes to make.

Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

• 2 bottles white wine
• 2 cups brandy
• 2 cups peach schnapps
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 apples
• 1 package strawberries
• 1 package blueberries

Slice strawberries and cut apples using a star-shaped cookie cutter. Mix the liquid ingredients, including the sugar in a pitcher. Layer the fruit … blueberries first, then the apples, and then the strawberries.

Catapano recommends refrigerating the sangria for at last six hours before serving. But don't forget about the cocktail while it chills! She says you should stir the mix periodically to the sugar dissolve. To keep the fruit layered in red, white and blue, Catapano says to push the fruit up and down with a wide wooden spoon, instead of traditional mixing.

• For more recipes and cocktail tidbits from Catapano's blog, This Girl Walks Into A Bar, click here.