Name: White sangria with kiwi and lemon grass
Ingredients: 2 lemongrass stalks (30g), bashed then thinly sliced; 1 tsp black peppercorns; 1 lemon; 6 strips of finely shaved lemon peel, then fruit sliced thinly into rounds; 100ml elderflower cordial; 2 tbsp caster sugar; 3 tbsp Cointreau (or other fruity liquor like Grand Marnier); 750ml of dry white wine (or one standard bottle), Albariño or sauvignon blanc work great here; 1 kiwi, thinly sliced into round, skin and all

Summer

4 tall glasses

Prep 5 min

Cook 5 min

Cool 40 min

My team and I wanted to create a portable and not-so-messy way of jazzing up glasses of wine or bubbles on the beach. This ‘sangria syrup’ will do just that. Simply place the syrup in a flask or old jam jar and take it with you to the beach, ready to be topped up with your wine of choice.

Ingredients

2	lemongrass stalks (30g), bashed then thinly sliced
1 tsp	black peppercorns
1	lemon; 6 strips of finely shaved lemon peel, then fruit sliced thinly into rounds
100ml	elderflower cordial
2 tbsp	caster sugar
3 tbsp	Cointreau (or other fruity liquor like Grand Marnier)
750ml	of dry white wine (or one standard bottle), Albariño or sauvignon blanc work great here
1	kiwi, thinly sliced into round, skin and all

Method

In a small saucepan, add the lemon grass, peppercorns, lemon peel, cordianal and sugar along with 100ml of the wine and whisk with a fork to incorporate. Place over a medium high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely in the pan, around 40 minutes. During this time the lemongrass will infuse into the syrup.
Pour the syrup through a fine mesh sieve and into a jar, for which you have a lid. Add the Cointreau and seal. At this point you have your ‘sangria syrup’ which you can either take to the beach and add to your wine, or you can enjoy immediately by doing the following.
In a large glass jug, add the syrup along with the remaining 650ml of white wine, the kiwi and lemon rounds and top up with lots of ice. Best enjoyed very cold.