Please note that this post is only for readers over the age of 21. Please do not drink and drive! Thanks to Excelsior Wines for giving me an excuse to throw a party!

Memorial Day is next weekend! Have you started planning your Memorial Day Party yet? I had a little get together this past weekend to try out a few new sangria recipes to practice before the actual holiday rolls around.  

You know what they say, "Practice makes perfect!" I wanted to make a red and a white sangria, so I gathered a few different varietals of Frontera Wines at the local grocery store and went home to start experimenting with recipes...I know it's a lot of wine.

It was for research, guys. I had to make this Sparkling Summertime Sangria inspired by Frontera Cocktail Recipes!

Why did I buy Frontera Wines? Because it is the #1 Southern American wine brand sold in the United States! Frontera Wines offers quality wines in many varieties at prices ranging from just $4.99 for 750ml to $10.99 for 1.5L sized bottles.

They're very affordable and as I soon found out, they're not a complicated wine; Frontera Wines are very easy to drink, and they make the perfect foundation for wine cocktails! 

Frontera Wines has created seven recipes that are great for year-round celebrations, but especially wonderful for the summer months and your upcoming parties - like Memorial Day!

There are even Red, White and Blue themed cocktails to celebrate the upcoming holidays with a little patriotic flair.

If you haven’t heard of Frontera Wines yet, you’ve been missing out! Frontera Wines has been sold in the U.S. since the 90’s and become a household favorite, especially for family gatherings and friendly get-togethers. In other words, they’re perfect for your upcoming Memorial Day parties!

The Frontera Cocktail Recipes are so easy to make and they’re just perfect for entertaining! I started with the Happy Place Sangria, and gave it my own personal twist.

I have a hard time following directions - the original recipe was awesome but I know my friends and family, and they like sweet sangrias, so I just made a few small adjustments. 

Happy Place Sangria

The original Happy Place Sangria recipe called for:

• 1 bottle of Frontera Cabernet Merlot
• 1 orange, 1 lemon, 1 lime, cut into wedges + 1 orange
• ½ pineapple, cut into chunks
• A large handful of fresh cherries cut in half
• Ginger Ale

I followed this recipe but added ½ cup of pineapple juice and instead of using fresh cherries, I used a jar of maraschino cherries, and I used ½ cup of orange juice instead of juicing the second orange. What can I say? I like cheating.

Directions: Squeeze the juice of one orange into a large pitcher. Toss in all of your cut fruit, add your bottle of Frontera Cabernet Merlot and stir.

Allow to chill in the refrigerator overnight – this is when the magic happens and the wine and juices blend to create a marvelous flavor!

When you’re ready to serve your sangria, pour over ice and top with ginger ale.

You should also taste-test it before your guests arrive to ensure that it's awesome. Don't worry, it will be!

Everyone loved the Happy Place Sangria, it was just the right combination of wine and fruit! My friend Charlie doesn't usually like red wine and he loved this sangria.

I actually sent him home with one of the bottles we didn't use because he liked the Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot so much!

I also made a White Wine Sangria based off the Paloma Blanca recipe...like I said, I have a hard time following directions.

The recipe called for Sauvignon Blanc and grapefruit (you can find the original recipe here), but I used different citrus and strawberries!

It's already pretty hot here in Miami and I thought this would make for a great grown up version of Strawberry Lemonade.

I call this the Sparkling Summertime Sangria, and the Frontera Sauvignon Blanc was absolutely perfect for it!

This is the one that my dad liked the most - yes. I let my dad come to my get-together. I don't think I've ever had a party without one or both of my parents attending, they're cool!

This is one of those sangria recipes that is perfect for beginning wine drinkers. Even my mom liked it, and my mom isn't really a drinker.

She loved how crisp and smooth the Frontera Wines Sauvignon Blanc was! I think that Frontera Wines are perfect for those who don't know a lot about wine because they aren't complicated - you won't need a wine tasting class to be able to enjoy them.

Just unscrew the bottle, sip and enjoy...or turn them into a sangria for a little extra fun!

Sparkling Summertime Sangria Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 750ml bottle of Frontera Wines Sauvignon Blanc
• ½ cup pineapple juice
• 1 cup chopped strawberries
• 1 sliced lemon
• 3 key limes cut into wedges
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 cup lemon-lime sparkling water or seltzer water

Directions: Add Frontera Wines Sauvignon Blanc, all fruit and sugar in a carafe and refrigerate overnight. Upon serving, add seltzer water/sparkling water and ice, stir. Then drink it.

Yes, it's that easy - all of the Frontera Wines Cocktails Recipes are!

For your upcoming parties, you don't have to go crazy to have a good time. Create a few signature cocktails using Frontera Cocktail Recipes, like this Happy Place Sangria recipe and my Sparkling Summertime Sangria recipe, and serve up a few finger foods and decorate with simple decorations.

It took us all of five minutes to hang these red, white and blue themed decorations in the dining room and they really lent a festive atmosphere to our gathering.

I bought them for about $10 at the party store and they're paper so I can just fold them back up and use them again for future parties!

The key to a stress-free gathering is simple food. I serve the same thing at most parties: lil' smokies wrapped in puff pastry, brownies, veggie and fruit trays and an antipasto that everyone always loves!

Since I was only having about 5 people over, I only served a small array of foods.

I will usually add chips and dip, a cheese and meats platter and various other finger foods if there are larger gatherings.

I bought a little coconut cake for this event simply because I was craving coconut cake.  

You don't even have to make all of your food from scratch for informal gatherings. Pick up some pre-made goodies and serve them in nice platters - presentation does matter, after all...

People love party food. Don't over think it!

Stick some decorative toothpicks in your foods and just kick back and relax and enjoy the good times and good company...and the Frontera Cocktail Recipes!