Long before the brouhaha over the so-called Mediterranean diet, non-Muslim residents of countries bordering that famous sea were using the fruits of their land for drink as well as food.
Fruit was turned into wine and brandy in France and Italy, but it took the Spanish to combine fresh fruit, wine and brandy and create sangria, one of the most charming and refreshing of summer party drinks.
The Oxford Companion to Wine, with more than a touch of condescension, identifies sangria as “a mixture of red wine, lemonade and, sometimes, spirits and fresh fruit, served typically in Spain’s tourist resorts.”
For a quick and simple sangria, the Companion’s formula works, but this drink is not reserved to the tourist resorts. It is part of Spanish folklore and is served often at parties in Spanish homes as well.
Depending on the ingredients used, sangria can be a light thirst-quencher or a potent cocktail that can set heads spinning.
Lemon and orange, pit fruits such as peaches and cherries when at their ripest, fruit brandy, gin or vodka are likely to find their way into a Spanish sangria along with a hearty red wine, usually from the region where you are.
When making sangria in Chicago, look for moderately priced Spanish wine from the Rioja or the Penedes regions or California zinfandel or cabernet sauvignon in 1.5-liter bottles. Bottles labeled “sangria” are available in wine shops and markets, but the quality of the wine and the fruit flavors will be better if you make your own.
Also, there’s the pride of authorship when guests applaud your creation.
Marimar Torres, whose family’s wines from Spain are well known in the United States, calls sangria “a drink not to be taken seriously but just for the fun of it.” She recommends not using a rigid recipe, but adjusting the amounts of liquor according to mood and the guests.
“If you find you went overboard,” she writes in “The Spanish Table,” “just add more wine, fruits, soda, etc. and make more of it.”
There are a few tricks to keep in mind, though, that will help you produce a superior sangria.
– Most seasonal fruits are welcome in a sangria blend. Citrus fruits, usually oranges and lemons, are a must because their acidity offsets the sweetness of the sugar and helps keep other fruits from discoloring. Fragrant fruits and berries–peaches, nectarines, blackberries, strawberries, pitted cherries–are welcome; apples, pears and grapes are used often too. Grapefruit, sour cherries, figs, plums, bananas and melons are best reserved for other uses.
– Crush the fruit a bit first with sugar to release juices. The total amount of sugar you use should vary with the dryness of the wine you choose.
– If you make sangria more than six hours before serving, add soft fruits such as strawberries at the end, so they don’t become mushy.
QUICK AND SIMPLE SANGRIA
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Chilling time: 2 hours or more
Yield: 8 servings
2 bottles dry red wine
2 bottles (10 ounces each) bitter lemon soda
1 orange, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
Sugar to taste
Ice cubes, mint sprigs
1. Combine wine, lemon soda, orange slices and lemon slices in large pitcher. Add sugar; stir to dissolve. Chill in refrigerator.
2. To serve, pour over ice cubes in large wine glasses; garnish each drink with mint sprig.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ….. 165 Fat ………… 0 g Cholesterol .. 0 mg
Sodium ….. 35 mg Carbohydrates .. 9 g Protein ……. 0 g
MARIMAR TORRES’ SANGRIA
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Chilling time: 4 hours or more
Yield: 10 servings
3 bottles full-bodied dry red wine
Peel from 2 lemons and
2 oranges, each cut in one long spiral and sliced thin
2 large peaches, cut in sections
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar, or to taste
1/2 cup brandy, Spanish preferred, or to taste
1/2 cup orange liqueur
1/4 cup gin or vodka, or to taste
Other fresh fruits such as strawberries and grapes
2 or 3 bottles (10 ounces each) club soda
Ice cubes
1. Place all ingredients except soda and ice cubes in large glass bowl or pitcher. Stir well. Taste to adjust ingredients if necessary. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
2. Just before serving, add soda and ice cubes.
Test kitchen note: If chilling for more than 6 hours, don’t add the strawberrries and grapes right away. Wait until 2 to 3 hours before serving, then add to sangria.
Nutrition information per serving (excluding fruit):
Calories ….. 240 Fat ………… 0 g Cholesterol .. 0 mg
Sodium …. 25 mg Carbohydrates .. 13 g Protein ……. 0 g
SPICED RED WINE (BASQUE ZURRACAPOTE)
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Standing time: At least 48 hours
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
1 bottle medium-bodied red wine
1/4 cup sugar
3 sticks cinnamon
Peel of 1 lemon
1/3 cup brandy, Spanish preferred
1. Combine 1/3 of the wine with sugar, cinnamon and lemon peel in small saucepan. Heat wine to a boil, turn heat to low and simmer 15 minutes. Turn off heat.
2. Add remaining wine and brandy; stir. Pour mixture into plastic or glass container, cover and leave at room temperature for at least 48 hours. Serve at room temperature, strained into glasses.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ….. 150 Fat …………. 0 g Cholesterol .. 0 mg
Sodium …… 6 mg Carbohydrates .. 11 g Protein ……. 0 g
WHITE SANGRIA
Preparation time: 15 minutes (if using fresh peaches)
Chilling time: At least 2 hours
Yield: 12 servings
2 bottles dry white wine
1/2 cup peach-flavored brandy or liqueur
Peel from 2 large oranges, removed in spirals with vegetable peeler
1 quart chilled club soda
Ice cubes
1 pound peaches, peeled, cut into pieces, or frozen sliced peaches, thawed
1. Combine wine, brandy and orange peel in large pitcher. Chill until cold.
2. Just before serving, add soda and ice. Stir to mix and pour into wine glasses. Add additional ice and peach pieces to each drink; serve.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ….. 110 Fat ………… 0 g Cholesterol .. 0 mg
Sodium ….. 20 mg Carbohydrates .. 8 g Protein ……. 0 g
