A little summer sangria

(photo by theculinarygeek/flickr)

When I entertain during the summer, my favourite drink is sangria, the Spanish wine punch whose name means blood. As I walk past the wine store on Agrippas Street in Jerusalem, just before entering the shuk, I marvel at the array of wines and think what great sangria they would make.

Traditional sangria is made with red wine and fruit, a little sugar to sweeten and orange juice. A version of the drink has been around since the early Greeks and Romans, who added sugar and spices to their wines. When Spain was under Moorish Islamic rule, until 1492, sangria disappeared but then returned. When the 1964 World’s Fair was held in New York City, sangria was a popular feature at Spain’s pavilion and it became popular among Americans. Here are a few recipes to try.

TRADITIONAL SANGRIA
8 servings

3 cups red wine
1 1/2 cups lemon-lime soda
1 1/2 cups orange juice
16 slices of limes
16 slices of lemons
8 slices of oranges
1/2 cup brandy
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp orange liqueur
2 tbsp grenadine
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp lime juice

1. Place wine, lemon-lime soda and orange juice in a large pitcher.
2. Add lime slices, lemon slices and orange slices.
3. In a small bowl, combine brandy, sugar, liqueur, grenadine, lemon juice and lime juice and blend. Pour into pitcher. Add ice cubes and chill several hours before serving.

WHITE SANGRIA
6-8 servings

1 1/2 cups brandy
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate
1 thinly sliced lemon
2 cups ice cubes
2 cups dry white wine
2 cups club soda
1 cup sliced strawberries (optional)
mint sprigs

1. Combine brandy and lemonade concentrate with lemon slices. Refrigerate one to four hours.
2. In a pitcher, add ice cubes, brandy mixture, wine and club soda. Add strawberries, if using. Garnish with mint sprigs.

PEACH SANGRIA
6 servings

4 cups dry white wine
1/4 cup peach-flavoured brandy
peel from one large orange
ice cubes
2 cups chilled club soda
1 1/2 quartered, pitted peaches

1. Mix wine and brandy in a large pitcher. Add orange peel and chill.
2. When ready to serve, add ice cubes and club soda. Place a peach quarter in each glass and pour brandied wine over each.

Sybil Kaplan is a journalist, lecturer, book reviewer and food writer in Jerusalem. She created and leads the weekly English-language Shuk Walks in Machane Yehuda, she has compiled and edited nine kosher cookbooks, and is the author of Witness to History: Ten Years as a Woman Journalist in Israel.