Berry Sangria

Sangria Senorial, Spanish Red Wine bottle, Brandy and a glass and pitcher full of Berry Sangria.

The Best Sangria

I’ve written and posted a Sangria recipe previously before. That’s not to say that it isn’t the best for it’s genre but that recipe is entirely different, in essence, compared to this one. That Sangria recipe, was a Peach Sangria and it is amazing. This, however, reprises ingredients that make up the general flavors in a particular Mexican soft drink called, “Sangria Senorial”. I’ve included a berry medley in this Sangria recipe to make it different yet full of fruit and fresh flavor, still. Though Sangria is traditionally served with similar ingredients, this recipe is very different and, in my opinion, this is the best sangria.

1 50.7 fl oz bottle of Sangria Senorial.

Sangria Senorial

I don’t think that most of you are aware of my previous work history, experience and/or previous background because I’ve only shared bit’s and pieces from post to post. I am a certified welder and crane operator, among many other things. The point I’m trying to make is that this drink, Sangria Senorial, was on the food trucks that would visit the construction sites and jobs that I’ve worked on for over 20 years. As you may or may not know, many of these food trucks are owned and operated by Hispanics so, I’ve eaten my fair share of Mexican food over the years. This drink, in particular, was usually among the soda selections and one of my favorites to drink with my lunch. It’s a sparkling non-alcoholic Sangria with natural and artificial flavorings or soda. This drink has heavily influenced the way I’ve decided to write this recipe. It’s not the same, by any means, but it does have similar properties but with Alcohol, instead.

1 750 ml bottle of Anciano Reserva 2013 Spanish Red Wine.

Sangria Red Wine

Since Sangria originates from Spain and Portugal, it’s only fitting to use a Spanish red wine so, I picked up this cheap $10 dollar bottle of wine from my state liquor store for this recipe. You may or may not know that I make my own wine and I teach you how to do it as well. But, as I mentioned, for the purposes of this recipe, I felt that it was fitting to use a Spanish Red Wine but, you use what you have. I know that some folks recommend darker wines like a Pinot Noir. Personally, I think that it makes sense to use dry burgundies because Sangria is deluded down and sweetened with so many other ingredients, including fruit, that the balance comes together perfectly.

Berry Sangria bottled ingredients.
Berry Sangria Ingredients:

3 cup Red Wine, 1 750 ml bottle
2 cups Dr Pepper
12 oz Mike’s Hard Lemonade
1/2 cup Simple Syrup
1/4 cup triple Sec
1/4 Cherry shnapps
1/4 cup Brandy
1 lbs Frozen Berry Medley, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries & strawberries

Follow the instructions in the Berry Sangria Video Tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make this fruity wine beverage.

Berry Sangria video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet

Bottling and Storing Wine

Full 36 Bottle wooden wine wrack against a small wall in my kitchen.

The Easiest Way to Bottle and Store Wine

This is the Fourth installment to my “How to make Wine” video and blog post series. If you’ve missed the other posts and video tutorials, refer to the link above to get caught up. So far we’ve gone through the “Primary Stage” and the “Secondary Stage” of wine making. We also spent some time with Clarifying your wine and now I’m going to teach you the easiest and best ways to bottle and store your homemade wine.

The amzchef Juicing machine.

Sponser’s for this Post

I was approached by a marketing department to advertise a few products for them. I only agreed to help them because these are directly related to the wine making and storing process.

In the first video of this series, I mentioned that it wasn’t a good idea to blend your fruit but a juicer could be used. So, I looked into this Juicer and it’s exactly what you need for a higher juice yield, when you’re making wine.

This particular machine uses an auger, much like an auger in a meat grinder. Fruit is dropped through the top until it reaches the re claimer and the the auger takes over by feeding and pressing the fruit into the juicer; which separates the pulp from the juice. Both of which are still needed to make your wine so, DO NOT throw the pulp out. Just add them to the bucket the way I demonstrated, in that first wine making video, using the press.

You can purchase one of these Juicer’s HERE using this temporary 20% off Discount code: CX37QTNA

Stainless Steel 24″ BODEGA Wine Cooler 52 Bottle Capacity.

I also received a BODEGA wine cooler from the same marketing group. Again, I’m waiting for the links and discount codes for it as well but, these refrigeration units are ideal for anyone that doesn’t have a basement or a wine cellar; where it’s most often cooler than the rest of the house.

Anyone that can’t afford those kinds of luxuries can possibly find it worth their while to pick up a unit like this to store their wine instead. These units maintain an efficient and stable environment, for wine, set at an exact and constant temperature and runs on only 95 watts of power.

Dark and light wines will vary with different temperatures and your personal tastes will, of course, play a roll in that but this cooler, in particular, ranges between 41° and 68° Fahrenheit in the settings. Warmer temperatures can be set for the red wines and colder chills for the whites.

Personally, I don’t buy wine. I make it. Wine can be very expensive to buy but, in my opinion, it doesn’t make my wine-making any less valuable and it’s worth protecting. I put a lot of work into my process and there’s nothing more valuable in this world than time.

If you’re not into wine or making wine, clearly something like this doesn’t make sense for you. But, if you’re like me and you’re really finding the joy in picking up a hobby like this, that you can enjoy all year long, a wine cooler can really protect your investment.

You can purchase this Wine Cooler HERE with this temporary 20% off discount code: BSLX-77LMQT-CVG9AT

PMGK Homemade wine, bottled and stacked on wine racks in a wine cooler.

Bottling and Storing

In this tutorial, I show you how to bottle wine from a 1 gallon carboy to 750 ml wine bottles. I demonstrate how to siphon and cork the wine using a cheap wine siphon and a Portuguese wine corker. I show you how easy it is to spruce up your bottles with cheap pvc shrink wrap and labels. I also advise you on the type of conditions and environment that is more suitable for wine by demonstrating the use of a wine cooler.

You need to know, however, the proper temperatures that each wine should be properly stored. Though, it would be nice to have a cool basement, a wine cellar or, indeed, a wine cooler like the one I’m advertising, sometimes none of these things are practical. So, let’s dive into next best practice’s.

Dark places are you’re best friend when it comes to the preservation of wine. This means under desks, in corners or closets. Even boxed up will make all the difference. Light, sunlight, in particular, will destroy the wine. That’s why most wines are placed in dark green or brown bottles and wine coolers are made with double pane smoked glass, for protection.

Vibration or constant movement needs to be avoided and heat. So, a basement may be dark and humid for your wine, but if it’s being stored near a furnace or heater, you’re going to quickly ruin your wine. Also, placing a wine cooler in a garage to store your wine, is another bad idea.

Wine bottling, corking and labeling materials for properly storing wine.

Most garage’s lack insulation and, in the Spring, Summer and Fall months, can quite possibly be warmer than any other room in your house. Though you may be thinking,”Hence, the refrigerator”, it’s a bad idea and here’s why.

A compressor will be constantly battling the temperature of the garage to maintain the temperature of your wine. A 30° variance will make your cooler work harder and quite possibly blow the motor, void the warranty and, most likely, ruin you’re wine before you even discover it.

Wine bottles should be stored on their sides. Everyone knows this but do they know why? It keeps the cork wet which in turn keeps it expanded for a tighter fit. The last thing you need is oxygen slipping into your wine and turning it into vinegar.

Any wine should be stored at a minimum of 70° Fahrenheit and much lower for some reds and most white wines and or champagne. 55° F is a nice happy medium and the average temp many red wines should be stored at. 41° F on up is optimal for most light wines and, of course, your own personal tastes will be a factor as well. Many of the tannin’s in darker wine’s can effect the flavor if they’re not stored at the right temperatures so, you can refer to this chart if you’re worried about it.

Wine Serving Temperature Chart
How to make Wine part 4 – Bottling and Storing Wine video tutorial by PoorMansGourmetKitchen

Amazing Chili

Poor Man’s Gourmet Kitchen amazing pot of chili.

The Best Chili Ever

I’ve been searching for a recipe that is exactly what anyone would expect amazing Chili to taste like, if that’s how it was described to you. If someone tells me “it’s the best”, by golly, it better be. I don’t want it thin and runny or light on the meat and it better not have any funky after taste. It just better be the best damn chili I’ve ever eaten or, at least, be convinced its the best in the moment I’m eating it. Well, this is it. I pulled it off and it isn’t that crazy either. There aren’t a million and one ingredients. I’ve even added a “Poor Man’s” hack to the recipe and a way to save money on bacon.

A package of Bacon, sausage and ground beef.

Carnivorous Chili

I’m going to shoot you straight and tell you right out of the gate, this recipe has meat, as it should, and a lot of it. I do have a fantastic Vegetarian Chili recipe on here, if you’re interested, but this is exactly the way I like my chili and it’s how I think it should be prepared anywhere. I’m talking about bacon, pork sausage and ground beef mixed into this recipe so, be prepared to go to work.

The cool thing is, I found a way to save 2/3 the cost on bacon by purchasing Bacon Ends and Pieces instead of a standard package. The cheapest bacon around here averages about $3.50 US for a 12 oz package and I bought 3 lbs of Bacon Ends and Pieces for $5.50 so, you do the math. The best part is is that it’s perfect chopped up into little pieces that can blend right in with the ground beef and pork sausage.

A bag of dry Pinto beans and 2 large cans of Frijoles.

Chili Beans

There are plenty of beans to choose from that you can add to your chili and you’re welcome to substitute or add your favorite to this recipe. My self, I like to stick with the classic Pinto Beans. It’s the way I had it growing up and it’s still the way I like to eat my chili today. In this recipe I use two 30 oz can’s of Frijoles, Pinto Beans, with the juice, but you can use dry beans and reconstitute them ahead of time, if you prefer. Just be sure to add about a cups worth of broth to the recipe to compensate for the missing bean juice. You also might have to add a pinch of salt for the missing sodium.

Chili pot on the stove with additional ingredients added over top.
Fine Tuning the Chili

In this recipe, I season the ground beef and pork sausage with 2 small packages of Taco Seasoning; about 2 oz. That’s the Poor Man’s hack I mentioned but once everything is combined, it’s time to fine tune the recipe with a few key ingredients and spices. I add Cumin, Coriander, Chili Powder, Cocoa and Mexican Oregano. Anything else you may think it needs is probably already in the taco seasoning. Unless you want to add Worcestershire or something, not needed btw, I would stick with the original recipe. I also add a few splashes of Brandy but that’s optional. It’s not uncommon to add beer if you prefer or your favorite bourbon.

This recipe is Chili so, it’s a little on the spicy side. I don’t think it’s too hot to eat but I don’t think it’s exactly for children either. If you’re making this recipe for kids or someone that has mild tastes, use bell peppers instead of Jalapeno’s, mild Taco Seasoning, instead of original, and use only 1 Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce. You might even want to ditch the addition of Chili Powder. Feel free to tweak anything else to your specific tastes, if you like, just know that I stand behind this recipe 100% and I think it’s perfect exactly the way it is.

Amazing Homemade Chili – Ground Beef, Bacon and Pork Sausage by PoorMansGourmet
Amazing Chili Ingredients:

1.5 lbs Hamburger
12 oz Bacon, chopped
1 lbs Pork Sausage, breakfast
2 pkg Taco Seasoning, original (2 oz )

1 Onion, chopped
3 Jalapenos, chopped with seeds & membrains
3 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce, chopped
8 Cloves Garlic, chopped
2 30 oz cans Pinto Beans with Juice
2 15 oz cans Tomato Sauce
2 15 oz cans Diced Tomatoes

1 tbsp Cumin
1 tbsp Mexican Oregano
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Coriander
1/2 tsp Cocoa
1/2 cup Bourbon, optional
Salt and Pepper to taste

Follow the instructions in the video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how easy this Amazing Chili is to make.