Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day! Are you ready? If your Valentine is a fan of bacon, bourbon, and doughnuts you should make them a Bacon, Bourbon, and Doughnut Bread Pudding.

What do you do if you know that a bread pudding won’t win your Valentine’s heart? Better yet, what if you are hosting an anti-Valentine’s Day Party for you and your single friends?

A cocktail is the solution. On Valentine’s day not any cocktail will do. The beverage must be romantic and red! Wine is the drink that fits all these categories. My Valentine’s favorite way to drink wine is in the form of sangria! So Sara, this one is for you! Not all wine’s will look the same. The beautiful red color of this sangria comes from the white merlot.

Cupid’s Quiver White Merlot Sangria

Serves 8-10

2 bottles white merlot wine

½ cup Cointreau

½ cup heavy simple syrup **

¼ cup cognac

1 pint raspberries

3 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced

2 limes, halved lengthwise and sliced

1 cup quartered strawberries

1 carambola (starfruit) sliced

Pour the wine into a large container. Add the Cointreau, simple syrup and cognac. Stir to blend.

Add the raspberries, kiwi, limes, strawberries and carambola. Stir to blend. Cover container and chill for 1 to 3 hours. Serve.

** to make a heavy simple syrup, put 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Let syrup cool. Leftover simple syrup can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Recipe ©Sally James

Photography©Taylor Mathis