Spanish Foodie: The Best Sangria

What is Sangria ?

So what is Sangria? It’s rather simply a mixture of wine, fruit, fruit juices, and soda water. You can basically use any type of red wine, however you’ll want to use a good quality wine, as well as good ripe fruit and quality juices to keep its appeal.

Sangria is a drink that’s traditional to Spain, and nearly any restaurant establishment will serve it. The recipe may be a little different from one place to the other, so don’t be afraid to sample the different recipes. As well, many savvy restaurant owners and chefs will vary the recipe according to the meal that you order.

This is basically known to be a summer drink through the northern parts of Spain, but in the southern and eastern areas you will find it being available all year round. This is due in most to the fact that in these areas the temperature and climate are summer like throughout the entire year. The drink does vary by strength depending on the type of establishment you’re visiting, for instance a bar will definitely have a stronger Sangria than a dance club or restaurant.

Spain was the originator of this great drink. The Spanish word sangria actually translates to “bleeding”, and therefore the drink received its name because of the color of the wine traditionally used. You can however get the drink made with white wine, which is called sangria blanco, blanco meaning “white” in Spanish.

When serving Sangria you’ll want to use a good pitcher that has a strainer on the lid, which will help to strain out all of the ice and fruit from going into the glass, and staying in the pitcher. It’s usually served in a 1-liter pitcher, however you can order it by the glass.

If you’re looking to create your own Sangria it’s actually pretty simple process that includes red wine, a miniscule amount of brandy or triple sec, some sliced fruit, and some type of sweetener like sugar or honey. The easy version of Sangria basically if you’re doing things quickly is a bottle of red wine, 1 ½ to 2 cups of orange juice, some sliced oranges, about two cups of clear soda such as Sprite, and about 2 shots of triple sec.

You can vary the fruit that you use depending on your own preference or depending on the meal that you’re cooking. If you like, you can substitute the red wine for white, and have as mentioned about sangria blanco, however make sure that the white wine that you do use is of some higher quality. You may or may not want to carbonate the Sangria; this would be up to the person making the drink.

One mistake that people make is not letting the wine and juices marinate together for several hours or better yet overnight before adding soda or even ice. This will make a tremendous difference in the flavor of your Sangria.