Cucumber-Ginger Sangria

I’m on a major Asian food kick lately, playing around with lots of miso and sriracha and fish sauce in dishes. Since most of my experiments have also been super spicy, I’ve been searching for the perfect cooling cocktail to pair them with, and here it is! This Cucumber-Ginger Sangria packs its own little kick of heat with the ginger, but the double whammy of fresh cucumber and Skinnygirl® Cucumber Vodka make it incredibly refreshing.

Also: does this season already seem crazy busy to anyone else? The last couple of weeks have been nonstop, and by the looks of my fall calendar, it doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon. When life gets busy, often one of the first things to drop off is quality time with my girl friends, so I’ve decided to bring back the happy hour and carve out some time each week for cocktails and catch-ups with the friends who are most important to me. I remember hearing somewhere that when we don’t think we have time to see our friends and family, it’s usually the time when we most need to see them. (Priorities!) For my first get-together of fall, I’m going to set out a few Asian-inspired snacks — blistered shishito peppers, spring rolls, and spicy wasabi peas — and mix up a big pitcher of this Cucumber-Ginger Sangria.

In my eyes, sangria is the perfect party drink: everything gets prepped the night before, mixed up and left in the fridge, and then it’s ready to go for party time. It’s even easier when this Skinnygirl® Cucumber Vodka does most of the work for you, since it’s already been infused with crisp, clean cucumber. Since it’s already so flavorful, you could also just pop it open and pour over ice with a bit of soda water and cucumber wheel, and you’ve got yourself a party-worthy cucumber martini. Keep reading for the recipe for this any-time-of-year sangria, and I’d love to hear in the comments if you give it a try! Cheers!

*photos by Molly Winters

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Skinnygirl® Cucumber Vodka with Natural Flavors, 30% Alc./Vol. ©2015 Skinnygirl Cocktails, Deerfield, IL (Per 1.5 oz – Average Analysis: Calories 75.8, Carbohydrates 0g, Protein 0g, Fat 0g)

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