Pomegranate and strawberry red wine sangria

A sweetly refreshing chilled red wine sangria with pomegranate, strawberries and lots of fresh mint.

And breathe. We're nearly there. Work is done for the year, school's out for summer, my Christmas to do list is nearly complete and I'm finally starting to relax. Just a little bit, mind.

Kids around all day every day bring their own set of challenges and rewards, often totally overriding my best laid plans (hence the lengthier than planned pause between recipes lately).

I can't change that, but I can change the way I react to it and feel about it, and that's my mantra for this last crazy pre-Christmas week, and the rest of summer. Roll with it, relax, and breathe.

Cheers to that.

Red wine sangria

This chilled red wine sangria is the perfect way to end your day, and I think equally enjoyable wherever you are right now - hot Christmas or cold.

I added pomegranate seeds and sliced strawberries to a bottle of red wine and some pomegranate juice, then a big splash of Cointreau and lots of fresh mint before topping it up with soda water.

Served over ice this red wine sangria is absolutely refreshing, pleasingly not-too-sweet and those wine-soaked strawberries and pomegranate seeds... So much yum. I really do like strawberries in my summer drinks.

I used an affordable Spanish garnacha, or you could use a local grenache, tempranillo or pinot noir for equally outstanding results. None of those on hand? Any red wine will do, really, as long as it's something you like to begin with.

If fresh strawberries are hard to come by, or it's winter where you are, replace them with sliced oranges.