My first memories of sangria date back to the early 80s when I vacationed with friends in Benidorm, a seaside resort on the Costa Blanco coastline of Southern Spain. Sangria is served traditionally everywhere during the summer and throughout the whole year in the warmer southern province of Spain.

I really enjoyed my time sipping on this fruity punch, and it went down extremely easy. If you ever have a similar experience, WATCH OUT! It’s a sneaky one!

This refreshing party drink is served all around the world. It was first introduced in the states at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York, and almost every restaurant in the United States serves it.

Sangria is named after the Spanish word Sangre, which means “blood” because of its rich, dark-red color. It can be made in red, white or even a sparkling wine. If you would like your sangria to have more kick, you can add brandy, rum or vodka. There are so many recipes to make sangria with! Any concoction would work, and you don’t have to be a wine expert to do it.

I decided to make some sangria this weekend while entertaining with friends. I picked up a bottle of the New Age Rose’. An Argentinian blend of Malbec and Merlot, it turned out to be very tasty with lots of citrus flavors. The taste could be described as thirst-quenching and tangy. I let it sit overnight in the fridge, and the fruit fermented into the wine, giving it a sweeter and subtler taste.

NEW AGE SANGRIA RECIPE

WASH THE SKINS OF ALL FRUIT FIRST

1 Lemon – Halve and then quarter each half. Squeeze fruit into pitcher; drop in fruit as a garnish.

1 Orange – Cut into 4 and then squeeze into pitcher; drop in fruit as a garnish.

½ Cup Blueberries – Put in plastic bag and crush to break skins and release juice; add to pitcher.

½ Cup Strawberries – Cut into small pieces; add to pitcher.

½ Cup Raspberries – Add to pitcher.

1 Bottle New Age Rose’ – Make chilled.

Pour into glass with ice.

I also love the following sangria, which is made with sparkling wine and Chambord Liqueur. On the nose, it is blueberry pie in a glass with lots of creamy blueberry and vanilla flavors.

Chambord Sangria

Ingredients
1 750ml Bottle of Segura Viudas Cava

4 Shots Chambord Raspberry Liqueur

2 Cups blueberries

Instructions
Pour the sparkling wine into a pitcher, and then add in the Chambord and the blueberries. You want to serve this immediately, so the bubbles don’t diminish. Alternatively, you can soak the Chambord and blueberries overnight first. This allows the flavor of the blueberries to get into the liquid. Directly add that to the sparkling wine right before you serve it.

Basic Sangria

This basic recipe for sangria is easy to obtain and is available at any of your local grocery stores, including Nino Salvaggio’s:

• 1 Bottle of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Rioja reds, Zinfandel, Shiraz)
• 1 Lemon cut into wedges
• 1 Orange cut into wedges
• 2 TBSP sugar
• 1 Shot brandy
• 2 Cups ginger ale or club soda

Preparation:

• Pour wine in the pitcher, and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon and orange into the wine.

• Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible), and add sugar and brandy.

• Allow to chill overnight.

• Add ginger ale or club soda just before serving.

• If you’d like to serve right away, use chilled red wine and serve over lots of ice.

Remember, there is no right or wrong way to make sangria. Create your own recipe using all of your favorite fruits and beverages. Most of all, make it fun. Cheers & Salud!

Happy sangria making!

Kind Regards,

Simone Peterson