Living De Tapas: Sangría

Let’s get the party started!! If there is a drink present on every tapas table on every single bar of Spain that has to be VINO!! Wine, or some variation of it, is the Spanish national drink. We have great and affordable wines across the country and we also have many ways to drink it. Of course we drink good wines on their own and with great pleasure, but we are not afraid of mixing some wines to make them more refreshing or more suitable for the occasion. We mix wine with soda during hot summer days, and we call that Tinto de Verano. Young people (that cannot afford liquor) mix it with coca cola and ice, and we call that Calimocho. Or we mix it with fresh fruit and other liquors to accompany dinners and ensure that everyone has a good time, we call that Sangría, and if a bar is serving sangría it is going to get loud!

Everyone has heard about sangría before and there are tons of recipes online for it, even with white wine. But the most classic sangría that is served in most places in Spain is always going to be with red wine, fresh fruit, some type of soda and liquor.

Sangría is mostly served during dinner time at restaurants and not as a drink by itself, thus nobody eats the fruit that falls in the glass. The fruit is just added to give aroma and flavors but then it stays in the pitcher. It is funny how people from other countries don’t understand that. The first time I made a big bowl of sangría for a party with international students we ran out of fruit in about 45 minutes, people had eaten it all!

So, however you decide to serve it or whatever you want to do with the fruit here is a recipe to try with your next tapas dinner!

Here’s what you will need:

MATERIALS:

- Pitcher or bowl to serve the sangría

- Wooden or plastic spoon to stir it

- Knife and cutting board to prepare the fruit

INGREDIENTS:

- Red wine (I normally use cabernet or merlot. Go for a cheap box wine, cause you won’t be able to taste it that much)

- Sugar

- Oranges (do not peel, just slice)

- Apples (do not peel, just slice)

- Peaches (do not peel, just slice)

- Other fruits include banana (this one you peel), pear, or other seasonal fruits. You can get creative here. Just remember the fruit is for flavor and not the main ingredient.

- Vermouth

- Lemonade and orange soda

- Other liquors (rum, vodka, gin, brandy). Please pick just ONE of these in addition to the vermouth or you will regret it

- Ice

HOW TO PREPARE IT:

1. Start by rinsing and cutting up the fruit in slices. When ready you can put it in the bottom of the pitcher or bowl.

2. Add the wine to the pitcher. I never measure the amount when I’m preparing sangría but think how strong you want it to be. If you want a lighter (not as alcoholic) sangría go for 50/50, that is 50% wine and 50% soda with a touch of vermouth. If you want a strong one (people getting red ears and stuff like that) go for 2/3 of wine and 1/3 of soda and go harder on the liquors. Think that you can always add more liquor or more soda to bring it to the right point.