Sangría Recipe
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Sangría is a type of red punch made from red wine and fresh fruit, with an occasional addition of brandy. Nearly every restaurant in Spain serves sangría, and each has its own particular recipe. Sangría, which means bleeding in Spanish, was so named for its bold red color. The red wine–based drink attained a trendy notoriety in 1964 when it was introduced at the Spanish Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair; it soon became a popular, refreshing party drink around the world. It briefly fell out of favor in the 1980s but has had a resurgence in the last decade. Sangría can also be made with white wine, but somehow Sangría Blanco—white blood—sounds curiously anemic. The Argentine sobriquet Clerico seems more fitting.
When making sangría at home, use a good-quality, assertive red wine. A Rioja or other Spanish wine will afford an authentic Spanish flavor, but a decent Burgundy or Cabernet Sauvignon will also work. Chill the wine overnight. Always use fresh fruit, not a mix. Experiment with different fruits—kiwi, passion fruit, or even blood oranges. Be warned that eating too much of the alcohol-soaked fruit may have you seeing elefantes rosados—pink elephants.
- 1 (750 ml) bottle Rioja or other red wine
- 2 teaspoons superfine sugar
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 1 orange, sliced
- 2 ounces Cointreau or Triple Sec
- 2 ounces brandy
- 12 ounces cold club soda
- Pour the wine and sugar into a pitcher, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients, stir, and chill for an hour.
- Serve in chilled wineglasses.
This recipe, while from a trusted source, may not have been tested by the CHOW food
team.
Copyright Quirk Books
i'm with you with the no sugar, BritinCan. It's usually so sweet as it is.
When I make sangria it's usually peach season here in PA and I cut up a peach, lemon, orange, and lime and let them soak in a little peach schnapps for a few hours before adding a large jug of cheap locally made table wine. it's a lot less complicated especially if you're not a big drinker and don't have a huge bar to...+READ
i'm with you with the no sugar, BritinCan. It's usually so sweet as it is.
When I make sangria it's usually peach season here in PA and I cut up a peach, lemon, orange, and lime and let them soak in a little peach schnapps for a few hours before adding a large jug of cheap locally made table wine. it's a lot less complicated especially if you're not a big drinker and don't have a huge bar to utilize. was a smash at our fourth of july party last night.-COLLAPSE
Apples are good in a sangria. 1 green and 1 red go in every sangria i have made. i have never used sugar in the sangria either. i usually add a dash of orange juice and that sweetens it all up.
Isn't Sangria just suppose to taste good/great & refreshing for the summer now matter how it is made? I don't like wine no matter the quality but we go to this place in Los Feliz, CA called Tropicalia on Hillhurst. Their Sangria taste great. I can't identify the fruit in there all the time but I dont' see lemon and oranges and YES I know Tropicalia is Brazilian but their Sangria is great and my...+READ
Isn't Sangria just suppose to taste good/great & refreshing for the summer now matter how it is made? I don't like wine no matter the quality but we go to this place in Los Feliz, CA called Tropicalia on Hillhurst. Their Sangria taste great. I can't identify the fruit in there all the time but I dont' see lemon and oranges and YES I know Tropicalia is Brazilian but their Sangria is great and my fiance who loves and buys good quality wine especially when friends come over orders it all the time.-COLLAPSE
I spent about three months in Spain last year (Malaga, Valencia, and Barcelona) and I don't remember a restaurant where sangria wasn't served. Sure, it may not be what the locals were drinking, but it always seemed to be available. I also have a problem with all the condescending attitudes about "touristy" things. Of course I want authenticity while I'm traveling, but I also am not a snob about...+READ
I spent about three months in Spain last year (Malaga, Valencia, and Barcelona) and I don't remember a restaurant where sangria wasn't served. Sure, it may not be what the locals were drinking, but it always seemed to be available. I also have a problem with all the condescending attitudes about "touristy" things. Of course I want authenticity while I'm traveling, but I also am not a snob about people who do the tourist thing. I don't feel like I should have to be embarrassed if I order sangria in Spain, a margarita in Mexico, etc.-COLLAPSE
Have to agree with Butterfly...Sangria is basically a drink for yourists in the sunny south or for those who want to get drunk quick on low grade wine (it's the unofficial drink of the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona). You're far more lilkely to find Spanish locals drinking bone-dry sherry with tapas or a good quality red wine or maybe one of their many high quality sparkling cavas.
> lighten up a little...
I'm not feeling particularly heavy, I just saw some pretty inaccurate info in the article. And, no, sangría is not available in the majority of Spanish restaurants (or as the author of this article said "Nearly every restaurant in Spain"). I'm sorry, but that's just not at all the case--there are huge swaths of Spain where you'll find no sangría at all.
I just got home from Spain and saw Sangria sitting in pitchers at many restaurants and cafeteria's. Butterfly needs to lighten up a little...
...Cmon Butterfly, we all know that sangria is rarely enjoyed as a drink to 'have with a serious meal'...strangely but expectedly, Us 'Caribbean Folk' have fallen in love with Sangria, and rightly so... I mean with our wide variety of fresh fruit, its no suprise. I think i would try a mix of Prosecco/Cava + Fresh Passionfruit + a Small % of Blood Orange + a Splash of Campari + Zest of Lemon & Red...+READ
...Cmon Butterfly, we all know that sangria is rarely enjoyed as a drink to 'have with a serious meal'...strangely but expectedly, Us 'Caribbean Folk' have fallen in love with Sangria, and rightly so... I mean with our wide variety of fresh fruit, its no suprise. I think i would try a mix of Prosecco/Cava + Fresh Passionfruit + a Small % of Blood Orange + a Splash of Campari + Zest of Lemon & Red Grapefruit + a splash of Pelligrino Limone Soda= Bliss!-COLLAPSE
Cooks Illustrated has a recipe for Sangria that I love to make. Instead of mixing everything together at once, you put the sliced lemon, sliced orange, sugar and freshly squeezed juice from 1 orange into the pitcher and then mash gently with wooden spoon for about a minute until fruit releases some juice. Then add the wine and triple sec.
The recipe does not include club soda or brandy, but I...+READ
Cooks Illustrated has a recipe for Sangria that I love to make. Instead of mixing everything together at once, you put the sliced lemon, sliced orange, sugar and freshly squeezed juice from 1 orange into the pitcher and then mash gently with wooden spoon for about a minute until fruit releases some juice. Then add the wine and triple sec.
The recipe does not include club soda or brandy, but I would certainly be willing to try it out sometime!!
They also specifically say to use an inexpensive wine.-COLLAPSE
It's way easier to use gingerale instead of soda and dispense with the superfine sugar. Also, IMHO using a good Rioja in sangria is a tragic waste.
I like it better made with a simple syrup instead of granulated sugar.
Note in my recipe above that I said to use a good quality red "at home." I made about three gallons of the stuff for my restaurant staff's picnic using a case of leftover cheap merlot we had hanging around. I also threw in some pineapple to mellow it out. It was perfectly fine and disappeared quickly, although I cannot account for any hangovers the next day. -Rob
Actually, from my experiences, a good sangria is based around a nice cheap wine, often from a cardboard box!
Also, in addition to the lemon and orange, I've added strawberries with great results.
A little more nitpicking...
I think it's a little silly to recommend using a "good-quality" red wine, which you then add sugar, triple sec, fruit, brandy, and 12 oz. club soda to. All the subtleties of the wine are going to be lost... why not use something cheap? My only concern with wine in sangria is making sure it's of a quality that won't cause nasty headaches the morning after.
Some nitpicking...
>means bleeding
Bloodletting would be a more accurate translation.
>Nearly every restaurant in Spain serves sangría, and each has its own particular recipe
No! No! Sangría is NOT by any stretch of the imagination available at every restaurant in Spain. In fact, I would say that it is only served in limited contexts--I drink it and am around other people drinking it maybe...+READ
Some nitpicking...
>means bleeding
Bloodletting would be a more accurate translation.
>Nearly every restaurant in Spain serves sangría, and each has its own particular recipe
No! No! Sangría is NOT by any stretch of the imagination available at every restaurant in Spain. In fact, I would say that it is only served in limited contexts--I drink it and am around other people drinking it maybe three or four times a year.
It's a summery drink--and not as popular as many others (except with tourists). It's the sort of drink you might have from time to time hanging out in a group before dinner or after, when it's hot out, at a party, street festival, or at a chiringuito on the beach. It's not really the sort of thing that you would drink with a serious meal.
I don't think the hard alcohol is optional... it is nearly always "juiced up". Usually the fruit is soaked with the sugar and alcohol beforehand in the refrigerator. You add the fizzy soda (usually gaseosa or lemon soda) just before serving.
>Sangría Blanco—white blood
(Blood is sangre, not sangría) I don't think I've ever seen the term "sangría blanca" (it would be blanca, not blanco) used here in Spain. There is tisana, which is made with Cava/Champagne. Or zurra from Cuenca.-COLLAPSE