Sangria

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PRESENTATION

The mellow heat of the evening, the softly rhythmic chattering mixed in with music and laughter, the sparkling of smiles reflected in glasses filled with a fragrant ruby red liquid... Memories of trips overlap with recollections from films, but the truth is that you can’t think about a summer evening in Spain without thinking of sangria, too. An alcoholic beverage based on full-bodied red wine, fruit, and spices, sangria can be found all over Spain, where there are also endless versions, including the white sangria typical of Catalonia. There’s a popular saying that goes, if red wine makes good blood, sangria makes it amazing! This adage is also a play on words, because the name “sangria” comes from “sangre,” the Spanish word for blood, thanks to the deep red color and passionate imagery that goes along with it. With its intense, spiced flavor and the custom to drink it ice cold, pouring fruit and beverage in equal measures into your glass with the help of a wooden spoon, sangria has earned itself a place among the essentials of any real summer party. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s make it with our recipe – and don’t forget to invite your friends!

INGREDIENTS
Red wine 1 quart (1 l) - full-bodied
Lemon soda 2 ¼ cups (500 g)
Cognac ¼ cup (50 g)
Evelina apple 0.5 lb (230 g)
Oranges 1.33 lbs (600 g)
Peach 0.9 lb (400 g)
Lemons 0.75 lb (350 g)
Sugar ⅔ cup (120 g)
Vanilla bean 1
Cinnamon sticks 2
Cloves 6
Ice 1 lb (450 g)
Preparation

How to prepare Sangria

To make the sangria, first prepare the ingredients: Wash the apples and, without removing the skin, cut them first into slices 1, then into strips 2, and finally into fairly small cubes 3.

Do the same with the peaches 4. Juice one lemon 5 and one orange 6 and set aside.

Next, cut half of the remaining oranges into slices 7, and the other half into cubes 8, without removing the peel. Do the same with the remaining lemons 9.

Now, pour the apple and peach cubes into a large bowl, and then add the juice from the citrus fruits 10 and cut up oranges and lemons 11. Add the red wine 12

and sugar 13 and mix well. Move on to the spices: Cut along the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrap out the seeds 14 using the blade of a knife, then add both the bean 15 and the seeds to the bowl.

Arrange the cinnamon sticks and cloves in a tea infuser to make it easier to remove them later 16. Place the infuser directly into the bowl or, alternatively, add the spices without using the infuser. Finally, pour in the cognac 17, stir, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap 18. Leave to rest in the fridge for a few hours or, even better, overnight.

Once the infusion time has passed, remove the vanilla bean and spices, then add the lemon soda 19 and ice 20. Give your sangria one last stir and it’s ready for serving 21!

Storage

The sangria can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.

Tips

If you prefer to give the sangria a less sweet touch, use seltzer or club soda instead, and, if you’d like, you can add any kind of fruit you want – just make sure it’s not so ripe that it falls apart. Remember that to make sure that the sangria is full of flavor, it will need to steep with its ingredients for at least 2 or 3 hours (it’s better to make it a day in advance). Here are some tips for good wines to use: Jumilla, wines from Alicante and Valencia; Rioja and Priorat wines are also commonly used. In terms of Italian wines, you could go for a non-sparkling Bonarda, a Cannonau di Sardegna, or a red Salice Salentino.

Interesting fact

The exact origins of sangria are unknown, but it seems that, contrary to what you might think, it may not actually be Spanish. In fact, it’s said that this popular drink was actually invented in the Antilles by English sailors who found a way to get around the ban on drinking the local rum neat by mixing it with fruit and honey.