Sangria Chatter

[Badfellow]

Warmer times mean cooler drinks, and up toward the top of my list is the sangria. Bloody marvelous, it is, whipped up in mass quantities to cater mass thirsts during those hottest days of the drinking year. And the further beauty is that it's a fairly cost effective means of getting a punch bowl filled with nectar over which everyone can catch their buzz.

The traditional basics of a sangria are fairly straight forward. Originating in Spain, a large amount of red table wine (the Spanish are known for their dry reds which compliment a balanced punch) was mixed to infuse in a vessel with slices of orange, lemon, lime and/or other citrus fruits as well as a form of sweetener (sugar was considered a great luxury during colonial times and was added extravagantly to the punch bowls of the wealthy). Raisins may have been substituted if you weren't born with a silver spoon up your ass. The mixture was sometimes further infused with spices, or sometimes sack wine or port may have been used for a portion of the load.

The modern sangria sticks to the same principles: cheap red wine and citrus. Of course, in the age of the Modern Drunkard we have a far greater arsenal of booze at our disposal, and perhaps more of a willingness to dispose of it. We can use wines from Spain, or there are those from Italy, Chile, the US, Australia or elsewhere that will suffice equally well.


Here's a recipe I'll share for scholarly interest, specifically at the request of Boozenik. It's disappeared very quickly at BBQs and parties in the past. A few of the ingredients might seem odd at first glance but they really do dance, especially when shaken with a little ice and poured over light rocks. These portions will make a smaller bowl and can be increased as needed.


Eclectic Sangria

4 bottles Red Wine (cheap but decent)
12 oz. Anejo Tequila
6 oz. Tripel Sec or Orange Liqueur
1 oz. Noilly Prat Sweet Vermouth
2 tsp. Almond Syrup
1 Blood Orange
1 Tangerine, Minneola or Navel Orange
1 Lemon

Sweetener to taste

Preparation- Slice citrus thin, leaving skin on and allow to infuse refrigerated in red wine overnight. Combine booze, almond syrup and optional sweetener, then add to red wine. Serve in chilled punch bowl. DO NOT add ice to punch bowl but rather serve on the side. Also leave out a bottle of dark rum and the rest of the bottle of Anejo for anyone who wants to further fortify their drink or do a shot on the side.

Anyone else?

[booznik]

This truly does sound excellent. This is the land of cheap but good wine, and añejo tequila too. Extra points for Noilly Prat, my preferred red vermouth for applications where Dolin would be an extravagance.

I don't make my own sangria often, but this recipe is hereby bookmarked. Cheers, good sir.

[oettinger]

Always thought the sangria was invented by intolerable german youths invading the spanish island of mallorca (google it, they call it their 17th state, I`m ashamed top to bottom).

But I stand corrected again on MDM, great mixup there BF.
Would like to add a grapefruit. To counter the sweetness of the almond a bit more. Syrup can cause havoc in your drink!

The night-stay at the fridge is underlined and friggin important, glad you pointed that one out.

It`s gettin warmer outside again, I`ll be right there

[Badfellow]

Would like to add a grapefruit. To counter the sweetness of the almond a bit more. Syrup can cause havoc in your drink!

That's a fine idea. Citrus and almond are an unlikely pairing that do an amazing trick together when blended in the right ratios without too much sweetness involved. Grapefruit will be interesting to try as punch season comes into blossom.

[Badfellow]

Okay, here's another interesting idea...

have you tried toasting the citrus slices on the grill? Seems like a good idea to me even though I haven't tried it yet

No, I haven't. But I'm definately going to give it a try. People do it with pineapple all the time and the results are fantastic. Intense heat would caramelize the sugars in the citrus providing more complex flavors (think of a Nut Brown Ale or a Stout compared to a Pilsner as an analogy). A person could even sprinkle a bit of sugar over the slices to further the caramelization effect. The only thing I might worry about would be the citrus picking up too much smoky grill flavor that might go awkwardly into a sangria mix. This could be avoided in theory with high heat and quick grill times.

I might suggest you try it out likewise and share the results. Cheers.

[booznik]

The only thing I might worry about would be the citrus picking up too much smoky grill flavor that might go awkwardly into a sangria mix. This could be avoided in theory with high heat and quick grill times.

From grilling experience (not grapefruit, mind you), there are also a couple of methods that can help mitigate this. The use of foil laid on the grill, or actually using a frying pan on the grill.

It seems to me that a certain amount of smokiness would complement the añejo tequila, but not too much. The tequila I prefer is made in masonry ovens instead of industrial autoclaves, and does carry a hint of smoke.

[Badfellow]

A bit of smokiness is a savory flavor indeed, which is why Scotch occasionally does things that bourbon cannot in the acrobatics of the palate.

Give this a try for caramelized sangria or cocktail oranges...

Sliced very thinly, place the orange slices on a ceramic plate. Top each slice with a good pinch of brown sugar. Drizzle a small amount of overproofed liquor (Bacardi 151 will work, but the better the liquor, the better the results) over the orange allowing it to saturate the sugar. Light with a match and allow the hauntingly beautiful blue flame of Queen Ethyl do her magic for 15-30 seconds, or until the sugar has darkened robustly. Usually the miniature pyre burns out of its own accord. Similar methods have been employed in the drinking of whiskey, grappa and armagnac with great success. It might also theoretically work with a cucumber slice and a good dram of dry gin.

[oettinger]

This might fit in here:
I once got the present of a glass full of cherries canned in 100% pure alcohol. Burning them for a few seconds and then eating them was delicious.
Placing brown sugar bits in the cherry stones' place would have been the real deal I learned just now.

[booznik]

A glass full of cherries canned in 100% pure alcohol. Burning them for a few seconds

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is Oettinger's SÄNGRIA recipe.

(That's a heavy metal umlaut, so don't dare pronounce it the German way.)

[mistah willies]

A glass full of cherries canned in 100% pure alcohol. Burning them for a few seconds

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is Oettinger's SÄNGRIA recipe.

(That's a heavy metal umlaut, so don't dare pronounce it the German way.)

I did, and my drink exploded. The best party is to drink flamable liquids.

Fire is my god.

[booznik]

Fire is my god.

Uh... huhuhuh!

[booznik]

Back on topic. This, ladies and gentleman, may say sangria, but it is in fact nothing of the sort.

Here in California, a 4L jug of this will set you back $10-$12.

Four. Liters.

This is the stuff morning-after regrets are made of. Not to mention incoherent forum posts, mixed with an extra helping of drunk dialing.

[peetie44]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdM9HDI33AY

[booznik]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdM9HDI33AY

The King of Cool is approved.

I think the Ocean's 11 blu ray may need to happen this weekend.

[Mr. Viking]

Back on topic. This, ladies and gentleman, may say sangria, but it is in fact nothing of the sort.

Here in California, a 4L jug of this will set you back $10-$12.

Four. Liters.

This is the stuff morning-after regrets are made of. Not to mention incoherent forum posts, mixed with an extra helping of drunk dialing.

I have tried on multiple occasions to contact producers/purveyors of such fancy goods to ship them over here, but to no avail