Sangria Summer

Before I hand over “Joel’s Top Secret Sangria” recipe, let me start with a little background. Sangria is a homemade, alcoholic fruit drink, based mainly on red wine (although I have seen some white wine recipes). It has its origins in Spain, but almost every country and culture has its own version. I think most people reading this blog probably know what sangria is, but I just wanted to be sure before I subject you to nearly 1,000 words on the subject.

My first Sangria experience came at a party four or five years back. My wife’s best friend is married to a guy from Oaxaca. His name is Jose (no really!) and every year there is a big party to celebrate his birthday. Something notable always happens… One year it was the chapulines (fried grasshoppers) which I blogged about, one year his nephew Pechuga got into a fight and knocked over the cake, last year I had my mezcal incident (which will not be discussed), and of course there was the year Jose introduced me to his uncle’s Sangria.

He told me it was just a harmless homemade wine… I cautiously tried it. I could taste some alcohol, but it really just tasted the way he had described it… an innocent, homemade wine; a little on the sweet side, but I liked it. I ended up having seven or eight glasses in a little over an hour. I felt okay until I stood up to go to the bathroom and suddenly had no control over my balance. At first I thought my alcohol tolerance had really slipped, but then later Jose told me that his uncle’s Sangria consisted of almost 7 different liquors. The joke was on me, and the rest of the night was a blur. I loved that the drink tasted as good as a fruity mixed drink, yet I could drink it without being embarrassed or losing manhood points.

I’ve since become obsessed with trying to develop my own perfect Sangria blend. Jose’s uncle has offered to show me how he makes his version, but I always decline the invitation. I don’t want to make Jose’s uncle’s Sangria, and I want my own recipe.

Over the past few years I’ve tried nearly a dozen variations, all with different degrees of success. I’ve never been able to get something quite as good as that first sangria... It seems like mine is either sweet but not strong enough, or too strong and not sweet enough. But my experimentation has taught me one valuable lesson:

“It’s nearly impossible to screw up Sangria.”

People drink Sangria to get drunk... or at least get a strong buzz. So it's not rocket science. If you put in enough alcohol, you'll get the job done. This isn’t about relaxing with a glass of wine at dinner. This is about making people get happy and dumb. You serve it at backyard BBQ’s or summer parties that last late into the night.

You throw in a bunch of liquor. You serve it as cold as you can get it. And you keep serving it until someone falls over while trying to dance or threatens someone with a knife.

Something else I love about Sangria is the pride factor. Its something you make on your own the night before, and then you spend the entire day excited for everyone to try your Sangria. Nothing can top watching someone get progressively drunker and drunker, slurring their words, and then eventually puking off the balcony because your drink was just that good!

So anyway, this is the latest, most refined version of my Sangria… it’s always adapting and changing, and it varies based on what fruit or liquor I might have around the house. But if I was making a batch of Sangria tonight, this is how I would do it:

Ingredients

- Two bottles of Red Wine… I use Cabernet Sauvignon because it’s not too sweet. With all the fruit and sugar you’ll be adding later, you don’t need any extra sweetness. You also shouldn’t waste any money on getting a good wine. Buy the cheap stuff because you won’t be able to tell the difference.

- One bottle of light or “clear” rum. If you use dark rum you risk overwhelming the fruit.

- One bottle of light fruit flavored rum. I use Parrot Bay which comes in Pineapple, Passion Fruit, or Coconut flavor. Any of those flavors will work, but it depends on your personal taste.

- Fruit… I try to include a diced green apple, a banana or two, and a cup or so of diced strawberries... But again, be creative with it… I like to pair the Pineapple flavored rum with a small can of diced pineapples. I’ve also used lemons, limes, oranges, grapes, cherries, and even mango. Whatever you've got, dice it up and throw it in.

- One half-gallon of fruit punch.

- One cup of sugar.

Steps

[1] Dump all the diced fruit into your jug, pitcher, pot, cooler, or whatever you plan on using to prepare your Sangria.

[2] Pour in wine, stir.

[3] Pour in liquor, stir.

[4] Pour in fruit punch, stir.

[5] Stir in sugar.

[6] Chill for 24 hours.

And that’s it… some people like to add in gin, bourbon, or some other liquors, and that’s okay, but I’ve found that there isn’t much noticeable difference between the complicated recipes and the simplified ones.

Let me say again, you really can’t screw this up… So, don’t be afraid to try different things. As long as you have the wine and the fruit, swapping different types of liquors won’t hurt. Figure out what you like, keep it cold, and enjoy!