Peach Plum and Cherry White Sangria

I’m headed to a picnic in Central Park to commune and fellowship with other friends separated from their fathers this Father’s Day, be it by miles, oceans, sickness or heavens.

My contribution to the picnic is this white sangria with all of my favorite stone fruits in season right now: peaches, plums, and cherries. I infused the simple syrup with a whole vanilla bean because I adore flavor combinations like “cherry vanilla” and “peaches and cream.” This is a sweet sangria, but if you prefer your sangria on the less sweet side, simply use a dry white wine and reduce the amount of simple syrup or eliminate it altogether.

And last but certainly not least, Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads, especially mine! The worst thing about living thousands of miles away from family is missing all of the “minor” holidays, parties, celebrations, and even everyday events like Sunday dinner. My dad especially loved Father’s Day, the day that he and all of his brothers would get together at my grandmother’s house in Prarieville and throw the biggest bash–complete with everything you could possibly want at a Louisisna barbeque like ribs, porkchops, and crawfish of course!

My grandmother would always make her “million dollar cake” for the Father’s Day Barbeque. Averse to both the relentless Louisiana sun and even more relentless mosquitos, I’d sit in my grandmother’s living room with the other ladies, being blasted by the wall unit air conditioner. I’d take breaks from the AC to refill my plate only to be caught by my dad, dancing to Jackie Neal or some other local blue’s artist. “Come dance with your daddy,” my dad would say, grabbing my hands and twirling me around as he two-stepped to the music. We’d dance for a while, but being the bratty teenager I was, I was eager to catch one of my sisters walking by and would hand off my dancing dad to one of them.

I have so many rich memories of those Father’s Day parties in prairieville, but for today, a picnic in Central Park with friends will do.

Recipe adapted from the Kitchn