In what I thought would be a brief sojourn away from America’s native spirit, I attended a “Spain and Sangria” dinner last week at The Oakroom in Louisville’s historic Seelbach Hilton Hotel – and who should show up but bourbon.
Chefs Jim Gerhardt and Bobby Benjamin paired four courses with sangria recipes by Benjamin and sommelier Julie DeFriend. The one my friends and I preferred was the sangria of aromatic white, which accompanied the Pike Valley chicken breast and chorizo rice and which just happened to include bourbon (Early Times in this instance).
The sangria, pictured at right in the above photo, was light and refreshing with lots of sweetness from the strawberries.
Here is the recipe. Combine all ingredients and chill overnight:
Sangria of Aromatic White
4 bottles aromatic Spanish white wine
1 bunch of parsley
1 lb strawberries
2 pineapples, diced
1/2 bottle of bourbon
2 cinnamon sticks
3 cups simple syrup
