A Night Out

To have the complete story (and a little history behind it) of what's happening on this part of the coast of Spain for the past week, check this out HERE.  It is culminating tonight (or not) with miles of beach parties... party tents with drinking, dancing, bonfires, noise, and people being soaked with high pressure water hoses.  I know this because C & H were told NOT to take their baby to the party, and because I can hear it from my bedroom and "muy" loudly from the roof.  It's 4 AM.  I'm tempted to get in the car and drive down to the beach, however, I'm a chicken driver.  I don't need a winding cliff road of revelers along with the occasional siren for excitement.

Heck!  I jumped at the chance last night to stay home.  Today is a Local Holiday, with everyone sleeping off the night.  We were invited to party about 15 miles south of here, on the beach, with friends from Norway. As C and I were doing our last minute shopping to cover the holiday we got a text that our ride and guide wasn't coming due to a semi-catastrophe of being locked out of car and house with his wife and 3 children.  After a grueling day of Spanish class, and the completion of my second trip to and from Alicante, we quickly decided the best plan would be to go out for a leisurely meal.  I poured myself a glass of Sangria from our stock of 6 x 2L bottles purchased at Aldi's (you'll enjoy the consumer comment on this one!) on Day One, no more than took a sip and was ushered out the door.  I hastily set my poured glass in the fridge for later.

A short walk away there are numerous restaurants on Avenida Escandinavia (I kid you NOT), however, because of the impending holiday, some were closed.  We chose "International Cuisine" and a pitcher of Sangria.  Halfway through my "first" glass of sangria, it hit me.  Yep, the sangria "hit" me!  I suddenly was fluent in Español among other distant languages of my past, and I realized that THIS was not the sangria I had waiting at home... and the words floated back to me from my friend and Español afficionado, D:  

 Supermarket sangria is fine, but make it yourself sangria (or sangria at a local bar/restaurante) can really get you smashed in no time. You think it's kool-aid, but it ain't. It has vodka in it.

So, I asked:  "whatzinthizzangrrreea?" (The waiter was British, so he understood me perfectly.)  He wasn't sure but after asking at the bar, he came back with a list written on the back of his order pad.  A list of ingredients that I only heard a few, and understood that I might not be able to walk home if we finished the pitcher!  Things like peach liquor, brandy, Martini rossi, and of course, red wine and fruit juice.  I didn't hear the vodka word mentioned, but it was probably there.
Need a pitcher picture?

I still have a glass of Sangria in the fridge... (breakfast, perhaps?)