Strolling through the farmers’ market the other day I rounded a corner and there were tables and tables of early peaches already out; the temptation to stop, touch and smell was too much to resist.
For some strange reason those peaches invoked a flash back to a summer now nearly 22 years ago when we tasted what became one of our favorite summer peach sangria recipes…
My business team had just recruited a guy to Salt Lake City we’d argued over for some time. He had a specialized skill set we (thought we) needed, though he had a concerning package of behaviors that suggested he just might be a handful at some point in the future. (I voted no just for the record.)
He rolled into town just before the 4th and threw a party for our team at the neighborhood pool; his wife was a high-strung, annoying, yet oddly interesting gal who met everyone at the door and thrust a glass of this amazing White Peach Sangria into each and every hand.
She promised it was a ‘cocktail drinker’s sangria’, made so by the dry white wine and the herbal tones from the rosemary and gin, though not overwhelming the summer sweetness of the peaches.
It was, and still is every time, simply awesome.
The new recruit (let’s call him Dick) was, on the other hand, an unmitigated disaster, one of those who could wreak havoc simply by walking into a room, and every time he did something, anything at all, catastrophe was sure to follow. He was gone in under 5 months.
We toast him every time we stir up a batch; you will too. By the way, you’ll probably want to start at least two batches of these when entertaining – it goes quickly and everybody will want more.
3 good-sized white peaches, pitted, cubed, skin left on
6 tbsp. sugar
1 generous tbsp. fresh lemon juice
9 3-inch sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 750-ml bottle of dry white wine
6 ounces London dry gin
Work the peach magic. Prep the peaches and combine with the sugar and lemon juice in your large party pitcher; gently stir in the rosemary sprigs. Let the peaches then sit at room temperature for 30-40 minutes to macerate and release that outrageously good peach nectar.
Now make a sangria. Pour in the wine and gin, stir to mix well and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
Serve cold and make sure everybody gets plenty of peaches and rosemary sprig in their glass; garnish with fresh rosemary if you’re entertaining to impress – though our favorite way to share this is out of chilled pint mason canning jars….
Enjoy.
