Sangría is the traditional Spanish version of a wine spritzer…
Sangria con naranjas de Valencia
We have been focusing on España for our Spanish Course Soleado. And, speaking of Spain, what could be more perfect for a warm summer evening than Sangría?
Last week we decided to videotape Patricia making Sangria. We set up at about 5:30 when the light was absolutely spectacular. Of course, I hadn’t realized that at this time of day everything would be backlit, and when I did realize it, I completely forgot about the lamp attachment for the camera that is designed to help with situations like this. My only excuse was that I had been running around like a madwoman, trying to find the ‘perfect’ vino español, Spanish brandy, oranges from Valencia, photogenic limes and lemons, ‘tapas’, una jarra, etc. etc. The recipe is below.
To see how to make Sangria while learning a bit of Spanish at the same time, the video is at:
pouring the vino tinto into the jarra – just look at that light!
At any rate, here is the result, Sangría en español (and in English también!)
Sangría |
Sangria |
| Paso 1. | Step 1. |
| una botella de vino tinto (un vino tinto de España, claro) | one bottle of red wine from Spain, of course |
| dos cucharadas de azúcar | *2 tbsp. sugar |
| una copita de brandy español | a small glass of Spanish brandy |
| Mix until sugar is dissolved. Note that you won’t need to add any sugar if you use a lemon-lime pop such as 7Up instead of club soda. | |
| Paso 2. | Step 2. |
| dos naranjas de Valencia | two oranges from Valencia |
| un limón | a lemon |
| una lima | a lime |
Slice some perfect ‘wheels’ from the middle of the citrus fruits. Cut these wheels in half, remove any seeds and put into the pitcher for decoration. Then squeeze the juice from the remaining bits n’ pieces into the sangria.
 las frutas: naranja, limón y lima Note: other fruit can also be used, cut-up and apples (manzanas) and peaches (duraznos) being the most popular. |
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| Step 3. (Optional) Store in the refrigerator for a few hours to allow the flavours to meld. | |
| Step 4. Just before serving add: | |
| unos cubitos de heilo | ice cubes |
| una lata de soda club | **a tin of club soda (or 7Up) |
Serve in a regular wine glass. Enjoy!
Serve the Sangría in a regular wine glass. Personally I prefer adding the club soda to the glass just after pouring for a perfect ‘fizz’. We served spicy olives with the Sangria.
Manchego cheese, a sharp sheep’s cheese from Spain is perfect with Sangria. If you can’t find manchego cheese, I have also seen ‘pepper jack’ recommended.