No sour grapes: Lesvia Castro is sweet on sangria."Eight hundred Frenchmen can't be wrong," Lesvia Castro exclaims with a hearty heart·y adj. heart·i·er, heart·i·est 1. Expressed warmly, exuberantly, and unrestrainedly: a hearty welcome. 2. laugh as she applies this saying to the many friends and relatives who enjoy her homemade home·made adj. 1. Made or prepared in the home: homemade pie. 2. Made by oneself. 3. Crudely or simply made. Adj. 1. sangria san·gri·a n. A cold drink made of red or white wine mixed with brandy, sugar, fruit juice, and soda water. Also called sangaree. [Probably from Spanish sangría, . Castro, 35, who enjoys cooking and baking baking: see cooking. baking Process of cooking by dry heat, especially in an oven. Baked products include bread, cookies, pies, and pastries. for others, says that everytime she receives up her special blend Special Blend is a morning radio show airing weekdays from 7 AM to 10 AM on the community-based campus radio station CKCU-FM in Ottawa, Canada. The show is entirely produced by volunteers; each of the 15 weekly programming hours is hosted by a different volunteer, with of triple sec, brandy brandy [for brandywine, from Du.,=burnt, i.e., distilled, wine], strong alcoholic spirit distilled from wine or from marc, the residue of the wine press. The most noted brandy is cognac, made from white grapes in the Charente district of France. , wine, "and a little secret kick," she receives more encouragement to possibly start a business. The music industry is where this Hackensack, New Jersey, resident fashioned her career for the past 15 years. Today, she is a marketing coordinator for the urban market at Universal Records--all the while perfecting this spirit. "I put so much time into it," she says. "I experiment all the time." It all began when Castro volunteered to make a beverage for her friend's party. On the day of the gathering, she presented sangria chilled with a dazzling ice ring made from tropical fruits and island nectars. "It keeps it cold without watering it down," Castro explains. "And it's pretty to look at. For me, it also has to be pleasing to the eye." Since then, Castro has been making sangria for various celebrations and gatherings. "The sangria was such a hit that folks started asking for more." Castro, who sets up right in her home kitchen, estimates the costs at approximately $75 for every four gallons. But price is the least of her concerns when she's creating. Her greatest sense of accomplishment comes from the compliments she receives from those who enjoy her treats. "I get so excited that I can please people's palates that way." GETTING STARTED HAVE FUN "You have to enjoy a process like this," Castro stresses. "Then you do it well. I enjoy preparing. I enjoy entertaining." EXPLORE Castro is always experimenting. Although there is a general recipe for making sangria, what makes it special is adding personal accents and variations. You can find several recipes by doing a search labeled "how to make sangria." A Website to consider is www.idrink.com. For a nonalcoholic non·al·co·hol·ic adj. A beverage usually containing less than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume. batch, visit www.saveabuddy.com |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion