I’ve been working with the comedy troupe The Capitol Steps this summer, creating some fun promotional and content pieces with them and the team hosting their summer residence, at Cranwell Spa & Golf Resort’s new Harvest Barn stage. Recently I teamed up with a local bartender to concoct two summer sangrias — one sweet and one with a little spice — to celebrate the ‘Steps and their satire domination in the Berkshires.
Check out the recipes below, and share your own versions using the hashtag #CapitolCocktails!
Red, Sweet, and Blue
A sweet tea and berry-based sangria. Serves 12.
55 oz. sweet tea
750 ml Sweet red wine (recommended: Bota Box Redvolution)
2 cups mixed-berry juice
2 lbs. strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries — hulled and sliced
Baby, You’re a Firework
A whiskey- and wine-based sangria with a little spark. Serves four.
1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
1/3 cup Fireball Whiskey – soak the chopped apple in the whiskey, preferably over night
3/4 cup apple juice
1 orange, sliced
1 blood orange, sliced
1 cup red wine (recommended: Malbec)
Cranwell Spa & Golf Resort is offering a chance to laugh off some election-year stress throughout the summer, hosting the award-winning musical satire group The Capitol Steps for a limited run of performances, from July 1 to Sept. 2. The troupe will be the first to perform on Cranwell’s new Harvest Barn stage, a 220-seat venue.
The Capitol Steps began as a group of congressional staffers who set out to satirize the very people who employed them. Now in its 35th year, the show has since evolved to feature 26 actors and five pianists, who stage shows across the United States.
This year’s show is largely based on songs from The Capitol Steps’ current album What To Expect When You’re Electing, featuring tunes that give a comedic nod to some of our most pressing political issues: “Ain’t No Pipeline, Now It’s Gone,” “Hello, Is it Mitt You’re Looking For?” and “We Warm the World” among them.
The Capitol Steps’ 90-minute show will be performed nightly, excluding Tuesdays, at 8 p.m. Cranwell Spa & Golf Resort offers pre-show dining from 4:30 to 6:30 at its Wine Spectator Award-winning restaurant in the Gilded Age Mansion, as well as casual fare at Sloane’s Restaurant and Bar. Show tickets and an optional dinner may be reserved directly by calling (413) 881-1636, or online at cranwell.com. For more information on Capitol Steps, visit capsteps.com.
Recipes developed by Mitchell Keil
