Sangria Soiree

Originally Published in the New School Free Press, 4/27/2009

With the temperature up and the economy down, we alcohol admirers have to figure out how to survive the long summer nights, and impromptu house parties are the choice of the season. A few weeks ago, on the first day of spring, my roommate and I decided to invite our friends to the roof of our building for a little warm-weather celebration.

But throwing a successful last-minute party is a delicate art. First, by its nature it must be unplanned, so inviting guests can be difficult. The wrong selection of mass-text-message invitees can leave you with a mismatched group of guests or, worse yet, none at all. Facebook is always an option, but beware, it will inevitably end in a rager.

While the invitations may be difficult, the drinks are easy to come by. Sangria is top on this lush’s list and for balmy nights, white wine makes a refreshing option. Unlike punch, there’s no vodka mixed in—the cheap liquor and high sugar content of vodka and wine will often result in broken furniture at the hands of rowdy guests, and guarantees a painful morning. Punch can be a cheap, though grueling, mode of suicide. Instead, stick to the Spanish specialty and you’ll survive the next morning.

Take four bottles of your favorite cheap wine (I recommend Trader Joe’s $3 Sauvignon Blanc, house blend) and a bottle of triple sec, a generic orange liqueur. Normally it takes something with a higher alcohol rate to get me tight enough to have a dance party of two, but there’s something about the triple sec that makes me act…well, like I’m drunk on triple sec. Pour in a cup to a cup and a half of the sweet liqueur and two sliced apples, oranges, and limes (and half a cup of lime juice), along with a handful of grapes. Stir it up and let it chill in the fridge.

This has been the recipe for many a foolish night, though it can sometimes go awry. You see, last time we forgot to wait for the quests to arrive before we got started; Sangria is deceivingly potent. Bu the time we realized that no one was coming, we were too drunk to notice. But who cares if this wasn’t an utter success? There’ll be plenty of time all summer for impromptu parties.