A shot of the elegant food table above and grilled summer vegetables below.

I had the pleasure of helping cook for an engagement party over the weekend. The menu was light and summery with a Mexican flare: grilled chicken and flank steak with jalapeno honey lime and chipotle garlic marinades, stacked black bean and roasted red pepper enchiladas, grilled summer vegetables, corn on the cob, watermelon salad with feta and blueberries and for dessert two kinds of brownies, mexican chocolate and double chocolate walnut. The real showstopper was the signature drink, a sangria. My friend P, the mom of the groom-to-be found the recipe. It was some of the most delicious sangria I've ever had. P used Tanqueray Gin.

Sangria

Ingredients

1 Bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Rioja, Zinfandel, Shiraz)
1 Lemon cut into wedges
1 Orange cut into wedges
1 Lime cut into wedges
2 Tbsp sugar
Splash of orange juice or lemonade
2 Shots of gin or triple sec (optional)
1 Cup of raspberries or strawberries (may use thawed or frozen)
1 Small can of diced pineapples (with juice)
4 Cups ginger ale

Directions

Pour wine into a large pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon, orange and lime into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and pineapple then add sugar, orange juice and gin. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale, berries and ice just before serving.