When Life Gives You Not Lemons but Bad Cheapass Wine and Premade Sangria...

WINE TALK
1

Yo Berserkz,

So yesterday I had my second of two family barbecues at my sister’s place and we went shopping first for a relatively cool little device at Costco – a drink dispenser that sits on top of an ice bowl so you chill the drink without diluting it. She has been dying for me to make her Sangria again since I was last in town. Unfortunately, she had previously purchased a box of pre-made Sangria she wanted me to use. I checked the box and the first two ingredients were malt liquor and glucose-fructose followed by red wine. Yes, this was the basis for our Sangria.

Sigh. Well you know what to do when life gives you lemonade. So I set out to work. I added in sliced fresh lemons, limes and strawberries. My youngest sister who was also visiting insisted on adding in apple slices. Then she started arguing with me on what a really good Sangria is all about. While we both agreed that oranges and/or orange juice are a necessary component, none were available but my sister did have Orangina (Italian orange soda). Since carbonated liquid is a major component anyways, we added that bottle in along with a bottle of Diet 7-Up.

Then came the long winding argument of how to augment the alcohol. My youngest sister wanted to add RUM [shock.gif] (BLECH!) to ruin the Sangria with while I wanted to add more wine. My youngest sister then started jawjacking at me at how she was a foodie, a food photographer and a bartender and how she knew better. I then started trash-talking back and telling her she must’ve worked at some shit bars because if she worked at a good one she would know like I do that you add Brandy, Cognac, or Cointreau to a good Sangria to up the alcohol. My sisters overruled me and hunted for some rum, finding only a minute and negligible quantity to add.

Still needing to up the alcohol, we finally settled on the only option left – the bottle of Barefoot Pinot Grigio I had purchased previously during my SAQ Wine Hunt (see my previous post to this one). We poured this in as our final ingredient and stirred away even as I prayed to the wine god Dionysus to help this trainwreck along. Surprisingly, the resultant beverage was refreshing, tasty and tolerable, though obviously very light considering the ingredients that went in. Not that far off from the fruit punch you buy in the store, actually.Ah well, ones does the best one can with one has on hand.

Next time I’m in, I’m committed to making my family some REAL Sangria with quality red wine and Cognac. Geez, malt liquor as the main ingredient in a pre-made Sangria. Yeech… [cheers.gif]

2

Orangina, diet 7up, cheap rum, malt liquor, pinot grigio and oj. You should be banned for a month for even tasting that combo. I have heartburn now :wink:

3

First of all, Orangina is French.

Second, if you add any kind of alcohol except wine, you’re not making sangria any more. The basis is red wine, orange, lemon with possibly other fruits, soda water and/or orange/lemon-based sodas (like Orangina). A few spices maybe (cinammon comes to mind). Anything else and you’re pretty much not doing sangria.

4

Guillaume…according to whom? Most Spanish sangria has brandy. Felipe II brandy is commonly used. Young Spanish wine, fresh fruit and brandy.

5

Good point, Humberto.
With any citrus fruit pretty much allowed into the equation, I see no reason to not include any brandy based fruit liqueurs such as Grande Marnier as well.

6

Humberto, apparently the difference between sangria and zurra. Even seems to be set in Spanish law, according to wikipedia. I could imagine Grand Marnier, Cointreau or Triple Sec working well. Rum is quite far-fetched to me but YMMV.

7

Hair splitting. Most Spaniards I know use Zurra and Sangria as interchangeable. The article admits that the difference is splitting hairs and not very clear. Legislators…according to our former president oral sex is not sex at all :wink:
Anyway I agree with you, no rum in Sangria (and I love anejo rum by itself.) In fact on the rare ocassions that my Spanish roots flare up and I make sangria I only use Brandy. I can see orange and brandy based spirits, but I like the Brandy kick.

8

There is another school of thought that sees the point of Sangria as knocking down the alcohol in the wine so you can drink more (especially as it is often consumed out of doors on hot days).

9

I have never been a fan of adding cognac/grand mariner/etc. to sangria. Wine, fruit, maybe some fizzy water, maybe maybe a smidge of sugar. I particularly enjoy white wine based sangria. Yum.

10

My secret ingredient in is Aperol which, at 11% ABV doesn’t really change anything on the buzz unit front but really kicks up the flavor.

11

At which point one says “Here, you make it…” and grabs a cold beer. pepsi

12

Roberto, compared to Campari, is Aperol very different? It seems to look the same and is herb based, i think? Don’t mean to sidetrack this too much…

13

Guillaume is correct by the way that Orangina is French, I was thinking of San Pellegrino Aranciato. However, I am also of the school that Spanish Sanctuary is customarily made with the addition of brandy or cognac as well. I actually prefer mine without.

14

Aperol is half the alcohol, much more fruity and much less bitter.

15

Thanks Roberto, sounds worth a try.

16

Warning: it’s physically addictive!

17

i have a headache just reading this thread, much less tasting the result. cold beer? gin and tonic?

18

Yup, which is exactly why I wouldn’t add hard liquor into it. However it being so cheap to produce, and people seeming so focused on getting hammered these days, I can understand why one would find some in mass-produced sangria. I’d rather enjoy a nice, refreshing drink without the headaches…

19

Old wive’s tale.