Hello Summer! The heat is so real here in Austin. The fourth of July is expected to be over 100 degrees. We have plans to spend the weekend celebrating with friends, but my plan to keep cool involves whipping up another batch of sangria.

Nothing says summer to me quite like sunshine, swimsuits, and sangria! Every girl needs a go-to sangria recipe. The best part about this quenching elixir is that there are so many ways to make it your own.

Here’s what you need & how you make it.

• 1 bottle merlot

• 1 bottle tempranillo

• 3 oranges, sliced

• 2 white nectarines, quartered

• 1 lemon, sliced

• 1 lime, sliced

• ½ c. pineapple, chunked (not pictured)

• ½ c. sugar (dissolved into equal parts warm water)

• Topo Chico Mineral Water

• Lots of ice, ice baby

My recipe starts with two types of wine. Back in college, I worked at a cooking school where we hosted monthly food & wine pairing events. Unfortunately, I picked up zero wine knowledge, but I’ve discovered that a tempranillo and a merlot make a pretty lovely combination. It doesn’t have to be extremely fancy or expensive. In fact, this whole recipe set me back around $25 buckaroos.

I already had a cute beverage dispenser, but if you don’t have one just use a pitcher filled with ice. Slice and dice all the fruit as listed above. If you see anything you don’t like, omit it. Lots of people add apples, so use what you like to snack on. Add all your fruit to the pitcher. Then, add both bottles of wine. Melt the sugar into equal parts water, so that all the sugar dissolves. Adding the sugar directly to the pitcher is a big NO-NO. You'll thank me later. :)

All you need to do now is stir, pour & enjoy! Feel free to top off your glass with some Topo Chico. If you try this recipe, let me know in the comments section below. Cheers to a wonderful holiday weekend!

<3 Kimberly