Since I just love the creaminess of milk soap, I decided to make another goat milk soap, but this time adding wine. I was inspired by the wine soaps of Napa County.

Instead of California wine, I used sangria. This was a bottled sangria from Spain. I also added sweet orange essential oil to enhance the citrus factor of the sangria.

Photo: My handmade sangria wine soaps posing along with two pretty snapdragon blossoms. The little speckles are from beet root powder. It’s another ingredient to add to the antioxidant mix.

Before adding the wine, many soap maker would recommend cooking out the alcohol part of the wine. But I just pour the wine and let it sit for a while.

The steps are like making regular CP soap. But near the end, I added 2 oz of wine. The mixture started heating up really fast. Even after I poured into the wooden mold, it stayed warm for some time. Because of this, you don’t have to insulate the soap mold. Just let in sit (in the closet) undisturbed for 24 hours.

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We’ve had quite a heatwave this past weekend in northern California.  To help me cool down, I like to make peppermint green tea and let it chill in the fridge for a couple of hours.  The peppermint helps you feel instantly cooler and the lime makes the tea a healthier drink.

Cooling minty green tea with lime recipe:

6 cups of water, 3 green tea bags, handful of fresh mint leaves, 1 whole lime sliced and juiced, 2 tbsp of agave nectar.Just boil the water, add the tea bag (let in steep for 5-10 minutes).  Add the fresh mint leaves, lime juice, and agave syrup.  Stir, let it cool and then refrigerate until cold.

You can even add some fresh sprigs of mint for an extra cooling and refreshing tea.

Another drink I remember enjoying on hot summer evening is Sangria.  My first glass of Sangria was in hot and humid Key West, Florida.  I am not a big fan of wine, and Sangria is more like fruit punch wine and pretty good.

Here is a beautiful hand painted ceramic Sangria pitcher from Spain.  Visit the site for a simple Sangria recipe.  Or try my recipe using a bottle of Merlot.

This tall hand thrown pitcher is the perfect way to serve Sangria - a festive, warm weather drink full of fruit and wine. It holds about 2 liters - half a gallon of cool refreshment. The pinched spout will help the wine flow freely and keep the slices of fruit where they belong — inside! (Food safe, lead free, hand wash.) - LaTienda.com

Sangria is usually red or white wine mixed with brandy, sugar, fruit juice, and soda water.  It is a popular wine “punch” originally from Spain and Portugal.  There are other variations to the recipe.

You can start with red wines such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir or Shiraz.  But you can also use white wine as well.

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