Sangria Pops

Contributed by Dawn Marie Hamilton

My nephew's wedding was this past Saturday. My sister-in-law, Lois, wanted to serve sangria pops at the family party the night before from a recipe she'd found in a local newspaper story by Vicki Hyman. So, on Friday morning, we prepared these frozen treats with a few minor changes to the original recipe.

Ingredients:

24 small 3-ounce plastic cups
24 wood craft sticks
1 orange, thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 lime, thinly sliced
2 kiwis, peeled and thinly sliced
½ cup red grapes
½ cup green grapes
½ cups strawberries, stems removed and thinly sliced

For red sangria pops:

¾ cup merlot
1¼ cups orange juice
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

For white sangria pops:

¾ cup sauvignon blanc
1 cup white grape juice
¼ cup mango mixer

1. Arrange cups on a baking sheet and place a few pieces of different fruits in each one. (We left the rind on the citrus fruit. Although I liked it, some of the guests suggested removing it next time.)

2. In one pitcher, combine merlot and orange juice with powdered sugar and stir. In another pitcher, combine sauvignon blanc and white grape juice with mango mixer and stir.

3. Fill 12 of the cups with red wine mixture and 12 with white wine mixture. Cover each cup with a square of aluminum foil. Prick a hole in the middle of the foil with the tip of a sharp knife and insert a craft stick into each cup.

4. Freeze cups for at least four hours, cut cups off pops, and serve.

Make a couple extra with orange juice for the kids.

Group dynamic at the party: The men preferred red pops and the women selected white.

Note: You can find the craft sticks at the local craft store.

Original recipe from On a Stick! by Matt Armendariz.