Sangria - a nice summer drink

Sangria is a traditional Spanish drink that has been representing Spain worldwide from centuries. From just being a traditional drink is Spain, Sangria has grown to become a popular and refreshing summer drink throughout the world.

This popular drink is available at almost every bar and restaurant in Spain. The fun part of it is that every place has its own variation of recipe for the drink. A typical mix of wine, brandy and fresh (mostly citrus) fruits, it is one of the most individualistic drink available in the market. You can go on trying it at different places and location. Some restaurants change the recipe for Sangria to go with the type of food they serve.

Sangria is basically a summer drink and is always served chilled along with lots of ice. Specially, in the southern part of Spain where it is endless summer year long.  During the hot summers or during the mild temperatures at the fall, it is always a delight to have this refreshing, fruity drink. In the south of Spain it is often known as Zurra and is prepared with peach in it.

Typically Sangria is a red wine punch. It is created using red wine, fruit juices, soda water and sometimes brandy. It uses honey, sugar and saccharine as sweetener. Sangria has derived its name from Spanish word “Sangre” which means blood. It is so because of the color of the red wine which dominates the color which Sangria have. In some places, they also use white wine instead of red. But Sangria made up of white wine is known as Sangria Blanca

You can prepare your own Sangria recipe. Young red wine along with fresh juices and fruits are a must to be assured of good quality. You can change the fruit, wine or other ingredients in Sangria recipe to suit your own taste. You can try different combinations of fruit, juices, and flavored sodas and can have an interesting range of recipes for Sangria to pleasantly surprise your peers. Sangria should be kept overnight before serving to let the flavor of fruits blend with other ingredients. Club soda and ice should be added when you are ready to serve. You can garnish it with fresh fruits. Use Rioja to get the authentic Spanish flavor.

Sangria is one of the major attractions for tourist coming over to Spain. Tourists in Spain visit various bars to taste the traditional drink. Traditional Sangria recipe is one of the best protected secret which is passed on from generations to generation in Spain. All the bars and pubs claim to serve the best Sangria in town. So, next time you visit Spain try as many Sangria flavors as you can and choose the best one yourself.