How was sangria invented? This is a familiar summer drink from the holidays

This is how sangria became popular

The next time you have a pitcher of sangria in front of you at a Spanish restaurant, you can tell your tablemates a fun nipple fact: the beginning of the sangria story is connected to undrinkable water.

Spain’s unofficial national drink, sangria, is familiar to many Finns from vacations as well as from home. It is a red wine-based drink that is mixed with soft drinks, spirits and fresh fruit.

Long before anyone talked about sangria, it was customary to mix wine with available ingredients. The ancient Romans and Greeks drank hippocras– called a drink, which was wine diluted with water, spices, sugar and other ingredients.

The practice was based on the desire to kill bacteria in undrinkable water by adding alcohol. Various mixtures of wine, water and spices were also common in Spain in the Middle Ages. The custom spread and survived. Wine is not necessarily drunk as is.

In Spain, there is no specific bar or restaurant where sangria is the focus. The roots of the drink go so far back in history that no one really seems to know where and when the drink known today as sangria was first mixed. The name refers to the drink’s blood-red color (sangre).

Internationally, the popularity of sangria exploded in the 60s. Sangria was served in the Spanish Pavilion at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. The easy-to-drink social drink quickly became popular in the United States and the rest of the world.

Today, mild sangria is sold pre-bottled in Spain in all supermarkets, and in Finland it is also available at Alko. However, it is best made yourself or prepared in a restaurant or bar.

This is how you make sangria at home

Sangria is also easy to prepare at home, and it makes a spectacular pitcher for the party table. Inexpensive red wine can be used as the base of traditional sangria – you shouldn’t buy fancy wine bottles for mixing.

There is no one specific recipe for sangria, because sangria can be made in dozens of different ways. In Spain, every restaurant makes their sangria a little differently. There can also be big differences in the alcohol content of sangria.

Almost anything can be added to steeled sangria, depending on your taste and the situation in the bar cabinet. However, the most popular ingredients are brandy and fruit liqueurs. For example, an orange liqueur like Cointreau or even a rhubarb liqueur is suitable as a continuation of the drink before adding soft drinks.

If you want the mildest result possible, make more sangria red summer -style wine and soft drinks. Mix a little fresh orange juice and lemonade or carbonated water into the wine.

You can always add plenty of fruit to the pitcher of sangria according to your taste. For example, orange or lemon wedges, apple, strawberries and banana are suitable for the drink.

In addition to red wine, sangria can also be made from white wine and sparkling wine, and why not also rose wine. Add the ice cubes to the drink only at the serving stage. Sweeten with sugar to your taste.

Assemble sangria from, for example:

• Red wine
• Brandy
• Fruit liqueur to your taste
• Freshly squeezed orange juice
• Lemon or orange lemonade or soda water
• Fresh fruit to your taste

Read also: Six typical drinks you’ll come across in Spain