Aye Chef - Cooking with style

Sangria (Spanish: sangría; meaning "bloody") is a wine punch typical of Spain. It normally consists of:

• a light, dry, young, acidic, unoaked, fruit forward red wine, usually from the province of Rioja in Spain and of the Tempranillo or Grenache varieties; other reds that work well include French wines such as Gamay or Beaujolais, and Italian wines such as Grignolino, Bardolino, Dolcetto, Freisa, or Lambrusco.
• chopped or sliced fruit (often orange, lemon, apple, peach, berries, pineapple; occasionally melon, grape, or mango)
• a sweetener such as honey, sugar, simple syrup, orange juice, and/or fruit nectar
• a small amount of added brandy, triple sec, or other spirits
• and ice and carbonated soda, in some recipes

Usually it is best to drink sangria during summers since you serve it cold. Here is a simple and tasty recipe to make one at home.

Ingredients (serves 6):
1 bottle red Spanish wine
2 tablespoons white sugar
a bit of boiling water
1 apple
1 pear
1 peach
1 orange, not peeled
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup orange liquor
1/4 cup brandy
2 sticks cinnamon
4 whole cloves

First, we make sugar syrup by dissolving sugar in boiling water, then cook over low heat until it's of the right consistency. Leave to cool.

Cut roughly the apple, orange (with the peel), pear and peach and put inside a large bowl made from glass. Add liquor, brandy, orange juice, cinnamon and cloves. Pour the wine and lastly sugar syrup.

Cover the bowl with sticky nylon and refrigerate over night, preferably two.

Sangria is best served in high wine glass with a bit of ice and tonic water.