Properly Sauced - Pomegranate/Blood Orange Sangria

On our first visit to Mercat a La Planxa, we asked to taste this strange-sounding concoction before we committed to an entire $30 pitcher. We were completely taken with the flavor, and have ordered it every time we’ve been back. The folks at Mercat were good enough to give us the recipe, which we’ve adapted for your home use. After looking at the effort required to make it, we’re less shocked by the price tag.

A few words of warning: This is a bit of a project. It takes at least a day and produces about a liter and a half of sangria. For some of us here at Chicagoist cocktail labs, that’s all in a day’s drinking - but for many people, this much effort and money requires something special. Try it for your next dinner party or special occasion. The rich flavors of the Pomegranate and the brandy make it suitable for slightly chilly spring evenings, but if you were to ice it heavily it would be a great drink for summer.

Adapted from Mercat a la Planxa

1 large bunch of fresh basil, chopped (about 3 cups)
1 liter of red wine
3 oz. Brandy
3 oz. Triple Sec
3 oz. Fresh squeezed Blood Orange Juice
Juice of one pomegranate (about 8 oz of packaged juice)
4 oz. Orgeat Syrup
2 diced blood oranges

Let all ingredients marinate at room temperature for 12 hours in a sealed container. Strain to remove basil and oranges. Serve over ice with fresh chopped basil and fresh diced oranges for garnish.

A standard bottle of wine is 750 ml. If you’d like to use one, slightly reduce the other ingredients - by about 3/4 of an ounce. Don’t worry too much - sangria isn’t an exact mix.