While traveling in Spain, I had the opportunity to experience Sangria. It is a very popular drink especially in Madrid, where on warm summer evenings, large pitchers of Sangria were ordered at just about every table. The Sangria tasted far better than anything in the U.S. Or was it just because I was on vacation?
I never really drank Sangria at home and always thought it would be too sweet, not the best wine taste and probably made with some type of packaged mix. I always stayed away from it. The closest I ever had to a Sangria was my grandfather who after dinner would slice fruit and let it sit in his glass of wine for a few minutes before drinking.
Not the case in Madrid. And yes, it is possible to enjoy a good refreshing Sangria.
Sangria means “bloody” and it originates from Spain. It is a wine punch and the color of the wine goes with the meaning of the wine.
This wine normally contains:
• Acidic, dry, light and young fruit red wine
• Sliced or chopped fruit
• Sugar, honey, orange juice or any fruit nectar which can act a sweetener
• Additional amount of brandy or any other spirits
• Some varieties of wine may also require carbonated soda or ice
This wine comes with lots of variations in recipes and that’s the reason the alcohol content of Sangria varies from one type to the other. Based on the content and quantity of content, numerous Sangria recipes are created. It can be made purely as anon-alcoholic drink as well. In this case, the contents include quintessence of lemon and cane sugar, along with carbonated water and also wine grapes.
Preparation of Sangria includes blending all ingredients with fruits cut into small cubes or slices. It is not mandatory to include carbonated soda or ice. The best flavor of Sangria comes when the fruits are mixed with other ingredients and this is achieved with several hours of refrigeration. The mix should be such that even if some fruits are added later on, it still does not have an ill-effect on the taste of the Sangria.
Another variation of Sangria is when white wine is used instead of red. In this case, it is termed Sangria Blanca. In all varieties of this league, wine is always used as the base and the wine plays a major role of the base. There are some variations when cinnamon is used with sweetener. The recipes which have dark red color also use white wine to lighten the color.
Serving of different wines often are based on the climate of the country as well. While in summers, Spain and Portugal are the main consumers of Sangria, but in other countries it is consumes all year round. It is a popular drink among different pubs, restaurants and bars. It is often served as one litre pitchers or containers which are large enough to handle one full bottle of wine with some ingredients added on top of it. Usually there is an lid which accompanies these containers to avoid the overflow of the drink.
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