Summer Sips Soiree: UV Sangria

I love summer entertaining and adore finding the perfect signature cocktail to serve my guests. My guests love arriving and being handed an instant fun drink that sets the tone for the rest of the night. Last weekend the weather was so nice in Seattle that I decided to host a summer soiree in my backyard. I was at the farmers market earlier in the week and grabbed a pleather of berries including blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries that I needed to use as well as some lemonade. After some thinking over I decided to make Lemonade Berry Sangria for my signature cocktail using UV Sangria Vodka.

For a successful party, you need to make sure that you prepare as much as you can ahead of time so that you can spend time with your guests and are not overrun by bar duties. I decided to bottle the sangria ahead of time so that guests could just pop open the bottle and add their own berries based on their preferences and taste. I have seen bottled cocktails at some bars recently and was really intrigued about somehow incorporating this into my home bar. It seemed like it would be really hard and challenging to execute but it was so easy! I filled the cute glass bottles with a mixture of UV Sangria Vodka, triple sec, and lemonade. Then I laid out a berry buffet of blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries for guests to add after they opened their bottled cocktail. In addition, I pre-made a pitcher of the Lemonade Berry Sangria where guests could serve themselves or easily refill their bottled cocktail. My guests began to show up at 6 pm on Saturday night and were so impressed with the bottled cocktail. They really loved the idea of the bottled cocktail as well as the DIY berry bar. Beyond the cocktail presentation, they really loved the refreshing and light taste of the cocktail itself. Many loved that the sangria was made with sangria vodka and the addition of lemonade left them feeling very refreshed. I wanted the environment to be breezy and flow effortlessly so I brought some elements of my home outside including my coffee table. I added a burlap table runner to my white coffee table and a fun blue tray that added a pop of color to my backyard. I served tapas to carry out the sangria theme including a Spanish cheese platter, olives, Spanish Potato Omelet, and Chorizo. My guest loved the tapas and they paired perfectly with the refreshing Lemonade Berry Sangria. Next time you are hosting a summer soiree make this Lemonade Berry Sangria for a refreshing and tasty cocktail.

*Note when making the bottled cocktails mix the UV Sangria, lemonade, and triple sec together then seal the bottle. Have guest customize their sangria with berries.