When I go grocery shopping, I have lists. Long lists. Lists of ingredients for every meal I will make in a week, planned in advance, so that I don’t go out of control in the grocery store. I could go crazy in there…

When we were a young, childless, dual income family (DINKS! Dual Income No Kids), I used to shop without lists. I’d just roam through the store, buying anything and everything I had the slightest inkling to buy. I loved it!

Nowadays, things are a bit tighter and regimented. But sometimes I write stuff on the list that I don’t need. Maybe I think I might need it by the time I go shopping, who knows what I was thinking. My unconscious mind is really just trying to get me to “buy more! Like you used to! Buy stuff and make lots of expensive food!”

And so it was last week, where I found myself with a dozen each, of lemons and limes. What to do with all these citrus fruits? I didn’t want to buy additional supplies to make baked goods, but I also wanted something new and delicious.

Well, we also, just happened to have a bottle of Summerhill Winery’s Cipes Pinot Noir Brut. Someone gave it to us a while back, but we don’t usually drink sparkling wines, especially pink ones. And so, it gathered dust in the pantry, just waiting for a moment like this!

And so I give you my Mojito inspired Sangria with lemons and limes. Summery goodness!

Mojito Sangria

Yield: 1 litre

2 each lemons and limes
1/4 cup agave or 1/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 cup chiffonade of either basil, mint or pineapple sage (I used pineapple sage)
Booze: 2 oz flavoured vodka. (Here’s where you can personalize. I used the last dregs of a bottle of Absolut Grapefruit Vodka, but I’m sure you could use any citrusy booze. Lemon, lime, or orange flavoured, you could even use Limoncello if you have it lying around.)
1 750 mL bottle of sparkling dry wine (white or pink)
1 cup ice

1. Halve fruit lengthwise, and slice very thinly, deseeding as you go. Combine in bowl with sweetener and herbs. Let stand at least one hour.

2. Pour fruit into pitcher, add booze and ice, stir and serve!