Cherry Sangria Cocktail

For a large crowd:

2 magnums Dry Rose Wine (we like La Vieille Ferme, which is a Rhone, but Malbec Rose also works)
1 cup brandy
1 Navel Orange
1 lime
1/2 lb Fresh Bing Cherries
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 cup Agave Nector

• Stem and Pit the cherries.  I recommend wearing rubber gloves and an apron for this.  Cherry juice stains very badly.  Slice the cherries in half. 
• Sort through them a couple of times to make sure you have gotten all the pits.  Put the cherries in the container you are going to mix or serve in.
• Slice the Orange and the lime and put it in the container.  Pour in the wine, then the rum and Agave, and stir.  
• Ideally, this should sit for about an hour, but mostly we can't wait.
• Serve over ice. 

Update on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 3:24PM by Margot

I just got a request from a reader for a recipe for a red and white sangria for a holiday party.  What a great idea?  This cherry sangria would look (and taste) gorgeous.  And I usually find cherries in the grocery store during the holiday season (out of season, I know, but it's once a year), and I make red-fruit salad for my Christmas Day Brunch (Quiche Sans Lorraine).

For a white sangria, I would substitue a fruity white wine, like a pinot grigio, and maybe use green grapes, instead of the cherries.  Salud!!