Written
by Marisa Nadolny
You’re
poolside, lakeside, or perhaps taking in the air in a recently completed sunken
garden. The sun hangs high in the sky and the slightest of summer breezes slips
by, flipping the pages of your book, placed just within arm’s reach of your
chaise lounge. It’s hot, but dry, and no clouds dare block the sun. You smell
something delicious grilling away, somewhere beyond your oasis.
Which
reminds you what’s missing: the perfect cool drink.
One
way to wet your whistle as you wile away the summer is to mix up a pitcher of
sangria. This traditional Spanish and Portuguese punch is difficult to get
wrong and always refreshing. Its base ingredients—dry red wine (or white for
sangria blanca), fruit, brandy, and soda on ice—are yours to experiment with
and build upon. In the end, you’ll create a light wine-based cocktail that
drinks more like a fruit punch and allows the fruit to stand out and deliver
natural flavor.
Recipes
vary across patios, bars, and countries. Indeed, while you aren’t likely to
catch a native ordering a tall glass of sangria at a Spanish bar, this
versatile concoction has been translated and appreciated dozens of ways for
palates of all provinces. A classic sangria recipe, or what you’d most likely
be served in Spain, would be a mixture of red wine, lemon, lime, sliced apples
and oranges, a hint of sweetener, such as honey or sugar, and a dash of brandy,
topped off with seltzer water and perhaps a bit of cinnamon or clove spice,
served in a decorative, ice-filled pitcher. Variations on the standard abound,
though, and sangria-lovers offer suggestions from substituting the seltzer with
ginger ale and the brandy with Cointreau or spiced rum, and additions such as
lemon wedges, an added cup of orange juice or lemonade, pomegranate seeds, and
a bevy of fruits, including strawberries, blueberries, plums, and kiwi. The
idea is to use fruits that will soak up the flavor of the wine and lend a
thread of fresh flavor to the entire mixture.
To
get into practice for mixing your own special sangria recipe, start with this
basic mixture and experiment from there (pears are optional but taste great
after a soak in the wine mixture). Then put the pitcher on the nearest lawn
table and get back to that book.
Sangria
Recipe
courtesy of Emeril Lagasse, 2001
2
bottles chilled dry red wine*
1 cup brandy
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup superfine granulated sugar
2 oranges, cut into thin rounds
1 lemon, cut into thin rounds
1 lime, cut into thin rounds
2 apples, cored and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 pears, cored and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 cups cold lemon-lime flavored or club soda
Ice
In
a large pot or bowl, combine the wine, brandy, orange juice, and sugar and stir
until the sugar dissolves.
Add
the orange, lemon, and lime slices, the apples, and pears, and refrigerate
until well chilled, about 1 hour.
Remove
from the refrigerator and add the soda. Serve in glasses over ice.
*
Lagasse suggests Beaujolais,
although just about any dry red, which need not be expensive, makes for great
red sangria.