Melissa Paris Fitness

It’s officially August, which means summer will soon be drawing to a close. Warm days will turn cool, the sun will set earlier, and the steamy fun of summer will dissipate into mugs of hot chocolate. (Albeit organic hot chocolate). And if we’ve learned anything, it’s that deprivation rarely results in beach ready bodies, but more often culminates with a late night cake and bottle of red wine to the face. On a recent trip to a chain restaurant, (I was dragged there, hold the judgment), I ordered a glass of peach sangria. What arrived was, essentially, a glass of fruit flavored sugar. The peaches were canned, syrupy, and frostbitten all at the same time. Traditional red sangria can be heavy, and sleep inducing; though if it gives you the urge to salsa, we can relate to that as well.

So we have a lightened version of this summer favorite to carry you through the final days of summer on a crisp, peachy cloud, without the guilt.

Stone Fruit Sangria:
Juice of 2 navel oranges
Juice of 1 lemon
24 sweet cherries, stemmed and pitted (TIP: Frozen and thawed can work too.)
1 peach, pitted and sliced
1 red plum, pitted and sliced
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
1 4-inch piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups unsweetened white grape juice or dry white wine
3 cups all-natural organic ginger ale (TRY: Santa Cruz Organic Ginger Ale)
2 cups sparkling water

In a large pitcher, combine orange juice, lemon juice, cherries, peach, plum, ginger and grape juice, stirring gently. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
To serve, add ginger ale and sparkling water and pour over ice.