You are already excited, I can tell! The word “Sangria” just rolls off the tongue and immediately sounds like it will taste amazing. If done right, it will! Follow these simple steps and you will turn that nasty wine into something great!

To start off, you are going to need some fruit. We are making red wine sangria, so apples and oranges work well. First, you will need to cut up the fruit into thin slices or wedges with the peels still on. Take this fruit and toss it into a glass pitcher. The bigger the pitcher the better! Next, you need some brandy. Just like your big daddy wine, the brandy doesn’t need to be expensive. Add about a half cup of the brandy to the fruit in the pitcher. No, don’t drink it yet! It might look good but we aren’t done. It’s time to throw in the orange liquor, such as Cointreau. You will need around a fourth of a cup. Just pour this into the brandy and fruit. Nope. Still not ready. Get your face out of the pitcher.

And here we go. It’s time to make that Bobby’s Big Daddy Bordeaux shine once and for all. How much you ask? Yeah, pour the whole 750ml bottle in the pitcher. All of it. Every drop. I now see your hesitation to drink it. You would be finally be correct in waiting. Stir it all up and cover the pitcher in plastic wrap. Put it in the refrigerator. Let is sit overnight while you dream of big daddy sangria.

Now it’s time to drink it! Before serving, top off the sangria with sparkling water. Play around with the amount until it tastes good to you. Pour a glass, and make sure to scoop up some of that awesome fruit in each glass! If you want it sweeter, replace the sparkling water with tonic water. Walla! You have just turned that horrific bottle of wine into a refreshing sangria! Enjoy!

If sangria isn’t the fix for you, and you’re finding yourself sitting there mulling around ideas to fix the big daddy wine, then try this. Mull it. Say what did you just say? You heard me. Mull it.

Mulled wine is a perfect way to turn that bad Bordeaux into something incredible. Especially if it’s a cold, wintery evening. Mulling wine is the process of turning red wine into a spicy, warm cocktail, and it won’t leave you disappointed. Let’s get started.

For this tasty treat, you finally get to dust off the ole crockpot and invade the spice cabinet. There are so many different recipes out there that use a vast array of spices, so picking ingredients of your liking is important. Try different things. Remember, it’s best to use cheap wine for this, so you can play around and mess it up without much financial loss.

Some spices that work well with mulling include coriander, cardamon , cinnamon, anise, cloves, honey and ginger. Like I said, play around with it and find the spices that make you happy. Once you figured it out, place the spices in a skillet and toast them on high heat for about 30 minutes. After heated, transfer to a spice infuser bag.

Next, it’s big daddy’s turn. Take the wine and put it in a small saucepan, letting it get to a bare simmer. Then, it’s crockpot time. Place the wine in the slow cooker and set it to low heat. Add some spices, the juice from an orange, and the orange hull. Cover and let it steep on low heat for about 2 hours.

Once the 2 hours is up, give it a taste. At this point, start adding maple syrup and brandy until it tastes to your liking. Cover again and let it heat on low for another 30 minutes. Guess what? That’s it! You can now serve this warm, spicy, delicious mulled wine to your guests!