Sangria: Authentic Recipe

Sangria: Authentic Recipe

 Sangria made with peaches and a bite of cinnamonSangria is of Spanish origin, the word deriving from “sangre,” meaning blood.  The correct spelling uses an acute accent: sangría.
The blood-red wine punch became popular with the English around mid 1700’s.  It came to Latin America and to Texas once the Spaniards began their voyages here.  Sangría is simply red wine with macerated fruit.  It is drunk cold during hot weather.

My title, “Authentic Recipe,” is of course tongue-in-cheek.  As I’ve said before:  What authentic?  What recipe? Wine with macerated fruit and a little sweetener, that’s it.

When a stronger spirit is added, like brandy, the Spanish call the drink Zurra.  But we in Texas and the rest of the world still call it Sangria.

I’m sharing this recipe which I learned during a stay in that gem of a city, Toledo (no not Ohio.)  I’ve made the recipe precise so that it’s easy to follow, and you can be sure it’ll be  delicious.  But most often Sangría will be thrown together with available fresh fruit, the only rule being to respect its heritage and confluence of flavors.  This recipe is adapted from the book, “Truly Texas Mexican: A Native Culinary Heritage In Recipes.”

Sangria Recipe

Ingredients (serves 4)

1 cup unpeeled diced ripe peach (this is usually one peach)Perfect for sangria, Seville oranges are bitter and flavorful. Use Valencia as a substitute.

1/2 cup peeled, diced Seville orange (this is usually one small orange)

1 Tbs sugar (you may increase this by 1/2 Tbs or 1 Tbs if the fruits are not very sweet)

1 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 cup freshly squeezed Seville orange juice (this is usually one small orange)

1 two-inch stick Cinnamon.

I wrap the cinnamon  in cheesecloth so that there are no splinters in the drink.Use a little bag to wrap the canela (cinnamon), using this recipe for sangria

3/4 cup brandy

1 bottle red wine ( I like either a Cabernet Sauvignon from Argentina or Chile or a Rioja from Spain.)

6 ounces lemon-line soda pop (optional)

Method

1. In a pitcher place the diced peach, diced orange, brandy and sugar. Smash the fruit a little with a wooden spoon and let stand for 15 minutes

2. Add the orange juice, lemon juice, wine and cinnamon and place in the refrigerator for one or 2 hours until very well chilled.

3.  Just before serving, add 6 ounces lemon-lime soda and mix.

4. I like to serve the Sangría in double old-fashioned glasses with a few ice cubes as pictured above.

Let me know how you like it.

 

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3 thoughts on “Sangria: Authentic Recipe”

  • A few years ago, while visiting Spain, we tried their Sangria (several places) and it was fantastic! I kept trying to figure out what the difference was and I narrowed it down to the type of lemons they used, they seemed to be “sweeter” than ours. Now, we have a Meyer lemon tree and I believe they use a type of lemon similar to the Meyer. It is somewhat sweeter than a run-of-the-mill lemon. I’ll use your recipe and try one of our Meyer lemons! By the way, in Spain, they also sometimes add cantelope in their Sangria. Heavenly!

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