Very Berry Sangria and a birthday

We had some friends over this past weekend, and I always take this as an opportunity to make a big pitcher of Sangria to sip & enjoy. Since it is the spring time and the berries are usually on sale at the grocery store this time of year, we made a very berry Sangria using four kinds of berries!  I wasn't head over heels for  this batch that I made, but then I remembered my mother's recipe where she uses blackberry brandy. Remember - drink responsibly!

Apologies for my lower quality IPhone picture

I also celebrated my 24th birthday yesterday! Which seems a bit meaningless in the scheme of birthday milestones, but I had a very nice day --- the husband made me pancakes for breakfast, had some physical therapy on my wrists, and a hike in the woods with our pup Sawyer (pictured below). 

The car gives him some funny hair do's

Mmm, pancakes

Very Berry Sangria

What you need
2 bottles of red wine
1 cup strawberries
1 cup raspberries
1 cup blueberries
1 cup blackberries
1 cup blackberry brandy

What you do
Rinse all fruit before using. Cut leafy tops off strawberries and freeze overnight. Pour all other ingredients into large pitcher. Muddle the berries at the bottom of the pitcher slightly, and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to serve, remove from fridge and add strawberries to pitcher (these will act as ice cubes to keep sangria cold as it sits out for guests to drink).