I saw the Mothman once. I was sitting on the porch of my questionable apartment off Blanco on one of those too-humid nights. My girlfriend at the time was sitting next to me. In the distance, a balloon floated above H-E-B, slowly moving toward us without a breeze to blow it. As it neared, it no longer had the shape of a balloon. Maybe it was a plastic bag? It never fluttered or flapped. It moved steadily forward without any visible motion of its own. We felt alone, as if the entire town had silenced and slept at once. When it was close enough, it was clearly not a bag. It was shadowy grey lung-like thing, passing directly overhead.
I bring this up because this happened on one of those sangria nights. Always broke, we would buy one bottle of trash wine from the corner store and mix it with whatever other liquor, fruit and soda we had left. Perhaps it was some toxic combination that caused us to have a shared hallucination. Or perhaps drinking something named after blood somehow summoned the unholy creature. Did our cauldron of bad wine and old fruit unleash a Mothman upon San Antonio?
In honor of the Mothman, wherever he/she/it may be hovering, I give you three better concoctions. Sip these sangrias on your porch past midnight at your own risk.
Watermelon Fresca Sangria
2 ounces watermelon fresca (Recipe below)
2 ounces Sauvignon Blanc
1/2 ounce vodka
1 ounce sparkling wine
1 ounce soda water
2 dashes simple syrup
Build the drink in a wine glass over ice. Garnish with watermelon wedges. Add citrus or simple syrup to taste. See below for the fresca instructions.
Watermelon Fresca
1 1/2 ounces fresh squeezed watermelon
1 ounce water
1/2 ounce simple syrup
1/4 ounce lime juice
Chartreuse Sangria
1 1/2 ounce red wine
3/4 ounce water
1/4 ounce green Chartreuse
Orange slice
Lemon slice
1 1/2 ounces soda water
3/4 ounce simple syrup
Build the drink in a wine glass over ice. Sweeten to taste.
Red Rum Sangria
1 1/2 ounces red wine
3/4 ounce simple syrup
1 ounce water
1 ounce Plantation rum
1/4 ounce lemon juice
Build the drink in a wine glass over ice. Add an orange rind and garnish with seasonal fruit.
