Sparkling Strawberry Kiwi Sangria

Here’s what you will need:

• 1 lb strawberries
• 1 lb kiwis
• 1 cup light rum
• 1 bottle white wine (such as sauvignon blanc)
• 1 bottle sparkling wine, chilled (such as cava)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 3 oranges
• A pitcher or other large container

Directions:

Hull the strawberries and cut them in half. Peel the kiwis and cut them into slices.

Combine half of the halved strawberries, the sugar, and the water in a saucepan, and turn the heat up to medium. Bring the mixture to a boil and then let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the strawberries seem like they’re about to fall apart. Let cool for a few minutes, and then, using a mesh sieve, strain the strawberry goodness into a bowl. Use a spoon to press the strawberries up against the mesh so you get every last beautiful drop of strawberry syrup. Place the syrup in the refrigerator to cool a bit.

Combine the kiwi slices and the remaining strawberries in a pitcher, and add the rum, white wine, strawberry syrup, and the juice of three oranges (in a pinch, you could also sub a few splashes of bottled orange juice, or even lemonade, for the fresh orange juice). Give it all a good stir and then pop the pitcher in the refrigerator for at least four hours to let all of the flavors come together.

When you’re ready to serve, add around three-quarters of the chilled sparkling wine to the pitcher. Pour into glasses and spoon in fruit, topping off each glass with a bit of the remaining champagne so it’s nice and bubbly when you hand the glass to a friend.