Ingredients
The drink
- 75 mlsparkling wine
- espumante, well chilled
- 75 mlwhite wine
- a sweet or off-dry one, well chilled
To serve
- a small wine glass
- no ice
- very cold
Traditionally alongside
- a chivito or a sandwich
- grilled meat from the parrilla
- at the market
Directions
- Warm sparkling wine goes flat and cloying. Chill both bottles properly beforehand. Small glasses keep it cold to the last sip.
- Take a small clean wine glass. Chill it beforehand if you can. A cold glass keeps the drink cold longer. Put the glass in the freezer for ten minutes. It is a small step that helps.
- Pour the white wine into the glass first. Fill it about halfway up the glass. Top the glass up with the sparkling wine.
- Pour it slowly down the glass side. A slow pour down the glass side keeps them. Take a moment over the whole pour. Pour a little and let it settle. The pour mixes them well enough.
- Leave it entirely alone from there. Judging it takes a careful taste. Use more sparkling wine for a drier drink. Use more white wine for a sweeter one.
- Adjust it to the wines you have. Serving it is always done immediately. Serve it while it is still fizzing. It loses its bubbles within minutes. Make each glass as it is wanted.
- Serve it alongside grilled meat. It does not keep at all once poured. Pour a fresh glass every time.
Technique
- Two wines poured together and nothing else: the sparkling brings acidity and bubbles, the still white — usually sweet or off-dry — brings body and sweetness, and together they make something lighter than either. Different bars use different white wines and the balance shifts considerably, so there is no single fixed recipe.
- Chill both bottles properly for at least four hours and use a small glass with no ice: ice would dilute it and flatten the bubbles, and a large glass warms before it is finished. A chilled glass helps too.
- Pour the still wine first and the sparkling slowly down the side over it, which mixes them without stirring; a fast pour knocks the bubbles out and stirring would flatten them entirely.
Substitutions
- The blend is now bottled commercially in Uruguay, though the bar version is poured fresh.
- The proportions shift with the wines you have; half and half is a starting point rather than a rule.
Variations
- It is drunk with grilled meat from the parrilla or with a chivito sandwich.
- It has been served at the Roldós bar in the Mercado del Puerto since 1886.
- It is a wine-strength drink that goes down easily, which is worth being aware of.
History
Half sparkling and half white wine, served since 1886 at the Roldos bar in Montevideo’s Mercado del Puerto.
Frequently asked questions
What is Medio y medio?
Medio y medio is a cocktail from Uruguay: half sparkling wine, half white wine; port market pour. Half sparkling and half white wine, served since 1886 at the Roldos bar in Montevideo’s Mercado del Puerto.
How long does Medio y medio take to make?
Medio y medio takes 2 minutes of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes serves 1. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Medio y medio?
Yes, within limits. The blend is now bottled commercially in Uruguay, though the bar version is poured fresh. The proportions shift with the wines you have; half and half is a starting point rather than a rule.
What is the most important thing to get right in Medio y medio?
Pour it slowly down the glass side. A slow pour down the glass side keeps them. Take a moment over the whole pour. Pour a little and let it settle. The pour mixes them well enough.
