Sangria

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

Sangria or Zurra, as this drink is also called in Spain, is one of the most popular cocktails, the main ingredients of which are wine, ice and fruits. The history of the emergence of the drink is associated with the hot climate of Spain. The temperature in summer there does not drop below +30 degrees, so clean wine is hard to drink in such heat, and sangria acts as a kind of alternative.

In recent years, reviews of sangria have spread far beyond the borders of Spain, and its production has been established on an industrial scale. But homemade sangria is very easy to make, and there are many recipes for its preparation.

The Spaniards themselves prefer not to buy industrial sangria, as it contains artificial ingredients and dyes that kill its true taste. Only homemade sangria is held in high esteem!

According to reviews of the Spanish sangria, it is necessary to drink it with pleasure and fun. The ideal setting is a fun country picnic with the participation of a large company.

History of sangria

Sangria appeared in southern Spain about 400 years ago. Fruit pickers, to cope with the heat, always carried with them a wineskin of red wine, which was diluted with spring water. Such a diluted wine did not cause intoxication and helped well when working under the scorching sun. Over time, various ingredients began to be added to wine, mainly fruits.

Why this drink is called exactly "sangria" (translated from Spanish - "blood") is not known for certain. According to one legend, the drink got its name from the great massacre that took place in the wine-growing village of Rioja in the late 17th century. The local feudal lords were allegedly very angry that the harvest gathered by the peasants did not meet their expectations, and perpetrated reprisals. As a result, many people died, including children and women. However, the feudal lords did not manage to destroy all the inhabitants of the village, since the peasants presented them with a drink that they had never tasted before. The feudal lords liked it so much that they demanded the peasants to reveal the secret of its preparation. The peasants themselves began to call the drink sangria in memory of the victims.

There is another legend according to which the author of the sangria is the Italian soldier Helio Gabal, who was captured by the Spanish conquistadors. The prisoner was subjected to cruel torture, considering him a spy. But, having achieved nothing, the Spaniards were forced to release him. Once free, Gabal, who was fond of agronomy, began to study local varieties of oranges.

Having made friends with local farmers, Gabal told them that he had long dreamed of inventing a delicious citrus wine. In his home country, he spent several years to no avail. Therefore, I came to Spain, as it is here that the best varieties of oranges grow. Interested farmers introduced Gabala to the best winemakers and together they began to make the Italian's dream come true. In the end, they didn't succeed. Gabal was so upset that out of annoyance he threw coarsely chopped oranges into a jug of grape wine, stating that in spite of everything he would only drink citrus wine! And to cool the wine, he also added a few chunks of ice. The astonished Spaniards watched in fascination as Gabal interfered with the red drink. After trying it, they declared that it was the blood of the devil and again tortured the Italian, and then burned him at the stake. And the name "sangria" stuck to the drink.

Variety of species

Judging by the reviews, sangria is prepared from a wide variety of ingredients. Its taste can vary depending on the liqueur and fruit used in the preparation. Many people prefer to add sparkling water to the drink, giving it sparkling. There are even recipes for making sangria based on white wine. In summer, homemade sangria is served chilled, and in winter, on the contrary, heated and flavored with nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves.

There are several types of sangria:

Normal or quiet. When preparing it, soda is not added, but grapes and citrus fruits are mandatory. Quiet sangria has a fresh and light sweet-sour taste with bright citrus and grape notes, often also accompanied by lime, lemon, peach, strawberry, banana, apple, pineapple and melon.
White sangria. It is no different from ordinary sangria, only white wine serves as the basis for it.
Sparkling sangria. It is made on the basis of soda or champagne. The bouquet of sparkling sangria unimaginably combines the aromas of citrus and grapes, to which are added the aroma of nutty and floral notes, arising during the fermentation process in a hermetically sealed system.

Of course, there is no clear line between the types of drink. In preparing homemade sangria, a lot depends on the possibilities and imagination. In general, it is very difficult to spoil sangria with any wrong ingredient. The beauty of the drink lies in its light taste, and the ingredients can only enhance and emphasize it.

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