Sangria

Ingredients

Wine

• 1 bottleyoung dry Spanish red, Rioja or Garnacha

Fruit

• 1orange, sliced
• 1lemon, sliced
• 1apple, diced
• 1peach, sliced, in season

Sweet and strong

• 60 mlbrandy
• 2 tbspsugar, or to taste
• juice of 1 orange

To lengthen

• 250 mlsoda water or gaseosa, added at the end
• plenty of ice

Optional

• 1cinnamon stick
• a splash of triple sec

Directions

1. Use a young, fruity, dry red rather than anything oaked or expensive. Now the fruit, which needs time.
2. Slice the citrus into rounds and dice the apple. Put the fruit in the jug with the sugar and the brandy first, before the wine.
3. Let that stand for 30 minutes, pressing the fruit gently with a spoon.
4. Stir it, cover it, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. The fruit flavours the wine and the wine softens the fruit, and it needs hours.
5. Taste it after chilling and adjust the sugar. It should be fruity and lightly sweet rather than syrupy, and the wine should still be recognisable.
6. Stir once, gently, and no more.
7. Serve it in glasses over ice, making sure each gets some fruit. It is deceptively easy to drink, because the fruit and sugar hide a full bottle of wine plus brandy in the jug.

Technique

• EU rules restrict the name Sangría to products made in Spain and Portugal, which tells you how seriously it is taken.
• Tinto de verano is what most Spaniards drink and is simply red wine and lemon soda.
• It keeps a day in the fridge, though the fruit goes soft.

Substitutions

• Any young fruity dry red.
• Lemonade in place of soda water, cutting the added sugar.

Variations

• Sangria blanca, made with white wine.
• Sangría de cava, with sparkling wine.
• Tinto de verano, the simpler everyday Spanish drink.

History

Wine mixed with fruit has old Iberian precedents, but the name spread worldwide after sangria was poured at the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sangria?

Sangria is a cocktail from Spain: chilled red wine punch with chopped fruit. Wine mixed with fruit has old Iberian precedents, but the name spread worldwide after sangria was poured at the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

How long does Sangria take to make?

Sangria takes 15 min plus 4 hr chilling of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes 1 jug, about 8 glasses. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Sangria?

Yes, within limits. Any young fruity dry red. Lemonade in place of soda water, cutting the added sugar.

What is the most important thing to get right in Sangria?

Use a young, fruity, dry red rather than anything oaked or expensive. Now the fruit, which needs time.