SIPPING on SANGRIA
Mix this Spanish-style drink to suit your taste and preferences
When the weather’s hot and you don’t want to think a lot, plunk yourself on a patio and sip sangria. It’s the Spanish-style drink that will cool you down and make life all about enjoyment, not the worries in the world.
Ironically, even though the drink has a calming effect now, how it eventually became popular in its country of origin all began with some plundering and conquering.
Doing that in Spain eons ago were the wine-loving Romans, who wisely discovered when settling in the area that the terroir and climate were ideal for growing grapes.
As time moved along, Europe’s penchant for wine-based punches, enhanced with fruit and often other alcohol, reached this part of the world. Spain’s version became known as sangria, a name derived from the Spanish word for blood, sangre.
Sangria got that reference built into its name because it’s traditionally made with red wine that’s blood-like in colour. That colour also symbolized the fact that Ro- mans spilled a lot of blood moving into areas where grapes now grow.
According to the New Food Lover’s Companion, your typical sangria is made from red wine, fruit or fruit juices or both, soda water, and sometimes liqueur or brandy or both. Although in Spain, from house to restaurant to corner cafe, how the drink is made can vary according to local tastes and the preferences of the person stirring it up.
These days, sangria is also made with other colours and styles of wine. For example, sangria blanco, white sangria, is made with white wine. In areas of Spain producing sparkling wine, you’ll find a version of the drink based on that bubbly beverage.
When making wine-rich sangria, don’t use lousy wine. If it has no body and character, your sangria will taste like a soup made with watery stock: boring! I’m not saying to use pricey wine to make the drink; just be sure what you buy and combine with your other ingredients is something you would happily drink on it own.