Sangria

When people think of a barbecue, they think of grilled chicken, hot dogs, burgers, potato salad... maybe a bag of chips thrown in as well. Simplicity is key because the food must be potable and light on the wallet. But when I think of a barbecue, I think of sangria. 

I first fell in love with sangria when I travelled to Spain to visit my sister one spring break. Though I was far too young to drink in the States yet, I took full advantage of the lenient drinking policies in Europe by ordering sangria with every meal besides breakfast. 

In college I perfected the recipe by keeping the ingredients and technique simple, and letting time do its work. Lots of recipes call for sugar, but I think the fruit itself adds enough sweetness. 

Drinking sangria is synonymous with summer, and eating wine-soaked fruit is refreshingly delicious. 

Easy Sangria
2 bottles of red wine, good quality but under ten dollars

2 apples, sliced into tiny chunks

2 oranges, sliced thin

1 lemon, sliced thin

5 shots of triple sec

1/4 cup seltzer water

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions
This is as easy as it gets. Dump all of the ingredients above into a pot. Cover. Let sit at least three hours. 
Add ladle and fancy glasses. Sit in sun and sip.