Classic, white, with berries, sangria is an alcoholic and fresh cocktail, perfect to serve as an aperitif on hot summer evenings. There is more than one recipe, but to make it good you have to follow four basic rules
Anyone who has spent a holiday in Spain cannot help but remember the crowded streets at aperitif time, the shouting, the music, that light atmosphere and the bar counters full of carafes full of a ruby red liquid, the sangria, synonym of "fiesta!". Fresh and alcoholic, it is the ideal drink to move on warm summer evenings. The cocktail, based on red wine, spices and fruit, was invented in the Iberian peninsula: it seems that the first to have mixed it were the Portuguese farmers. The name owes it to the color reminiscent of the "sangre", blood in Spanish.
Sangria: a recipe and some variations
The real Spanish sangria must be balanced in flavors and alcohol content. These the ingredients of the classic recipe: a bottle of red wine, two peaches, an apple, the juice of two oranges and half a lemon, a stick of cinnamon, two spoons of sugar and two of water. For the Preparation first put a saucepan with the water on the fire, when it is hot add the sugar and wait until it has completely dissolved. In a two-liter jug put the fruit cut into cubes (the apple can remain with the peel, the peaches, however, must be peeled). At this point pour the wine, the juice of the oranges and the lemon and the sweetened water. Add the cinnamon stick and, for those who wish, a glass of Cointreau or Brandy. Cover the jug with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. In addition to the classic version, with red wine, there are also some variations, such as the White sangria, with prosecco, very widespread in Catalonia, or the sangria with berries. In this case, the procedure does not change but the fruit will consist of 100 grams of strawberries, 100 grams of blackberries, 100 grams of blueberries and 100 grams of raspberries.
Four basic rules for a perfect sangria
Finding two equal sangria is a difficult task because whoever prepares it follows their own tastes and their eye. To make it good there are however four basic rules to follow. Better to use a wine fruity red, of good quality and with a fairly high alcohol content, since it is then diluted. In Italy you can use Nero d'Avola or Cannonau. There fruit it must be ripe at the right point and cut into not too small cubes. The third rule is the maceration: fruit, wine, spices, sugar and, for those who put it, liqueur, they must rest together for at least an hour, preferably two, before the cocktail is served. Last, but not least, is the temperature: the sangria must be cold, indeed very cold. Finally a trick: in order to avoid becoming too watery, instead of adding the ice directly into the carafe, it is better to put it in the glasses, otherwise you can freeze part of the sangria and add the cubes to the rest of the drink five minutes before serving.
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