I am really getting into cocktail and drink photography these days, so I figured that a Rosé Sangria would be perfect for celebrating the fact that summer is almost here! I hinted at something fun that I would be a part of in a previous post, and now I can share what it is! I was one of only 15 food bloggers chosen by the AOL Lifestyle Collective to share one of my go-to Spring recipes, and also review a collection of kitchen gadgets for the Spring Food Awards!
Read the article on the AOL Lifestyle Blog, titled, 15 Food Bloggers Share Their Go-To Spring Recipes
I also wanted to challenge myself to create another post using a few more of the items that the amazing AOL Lifestyle Collective sent me to review. So, this post was created to help promote the Collective, and to thank their team for including me on this fun project.
Among lots of other fun products AOL sent me, the featured items in this post include the SodaStream Kit, 5 different SodaStream Flavor Mixes, these awesome Kitchen Gizmo Unbreakable Stemless Tumblers, and this Oni Knife from Dreamfarm. It was so fun getting acquainted with these items throughout this post. I also reviewed the Pampered Chef Meatball & Slider Grill Basket, here.
I always love a mixed drink that has carbonation in it, and I have also been wanting to make Sangria for a while now. It's the perfect drink to serve at a party, or just simply enjoy on a warm day! I also had a bottle of Rosé, and a lightbulb went off! I searched for Rosé Sangria, and to my delight, I found that it needed a 750 mL bottle of Rosé, fruit, and Sparkling Water - which I made with the SodaStream. Perfect! And, any bottle of Rosé will do :)
My quest to create the perfect SodaStream cocktail began by simply researching "SodaStream Cocktails". I did not really find a whole lot. I received a SodaStream and 5 different flavors of Sparkling Drink Mixes, one being Homestyle Lemonade, which I used here, and also Cola. If cherries had been in season, I was actually going to create a Black Cherry Bourbon Smash, where you muddle the fresh cherries with granulated sugar and then add that to your other ingredients. I learned a lot about Cola-based cocktails here. Unfortunately, after asking around a bit at our local grocery stores, I found that cherries won't even be available until late May! So, a more late Spring/Early Summer Recipe that incorporated more seasonal fruits was a way better choice for this post.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
1 (750mL) Bottle of Rosé wine
SodaStream Machine and Bottle (You will need a full 1L of carbonated water that the machine makes) - or use 1L of Carbonated Water
1 Cap full of the SodaStream Waters Mix in Homestyle-Lemonade (love that it's naturally flavored)
1 Container of Strawberries
1 Green Apple
1-2 Limes
1 Medium Lemon
1 Plum
Note - feel free to use whatever mix of fruits you want, or have on hand
I used the Oni Knife from Dreamfarm to slice up my fruit, and it was very sharp. My only notes would be that the sheath doesn't stay on extremely well, but does alright. Also, the feature of the knife that is supposed to cut plastic wrap did not really cut anything at all. I even attempted to cut parchment paper, and had no luck. But, the price of this knife is definitely comparable to similar knives that I would buy.
This will be a nice addition to my kitchen, and will look cute in photos for all of the food photography I love to do daily.
1.) Set up your SodaStream. Below, you will see the pieces of the SodaStream - it comes with the machine itself, a fillable 1L carbonating bottle, the CO2 cartridge, and the plug in cords, not shown. Remove the back panel on the machine, unwrap your CO2 bottle, and attach it into your machine. See instructions in the package to confirm more details. Now, plug it in, and it should light up!
2.) If using a SodaStream, fill it with water up to the designated line. Push the second button on your SodaStream machine, and the carbonation process will begin. It's super neat to watch the bubbles shoot into the water to carbonate it! Optionally, use carbonated water. In the photo below, you will see that I added my cap full of Homestyle Lemonade flavoring, but you are generally supposed to do this after you carbonate the water. Either way seemed to work alright though :)
3.) Slice up all of your fruit, and lay out.
4.) Divide the bottle of wine between 4 glasses, add fruit in an array of pretty colors, and top the glasses off with your sparkling lemon water. The bubbles are great, and the Rosé taste is complimented nicely with the other ingredients. Enjoy!
So excited to be a part of this fun group of bloggers! Learn More Here.
I was fortunate to receive a complimentary SodaStream machine kit, several flavored mixes, the Kitchen Gizmo Glasses, and also the Oni Knife from the AOL Lifestyle Collective, so that I could review the products. This is not a sponsored post.
