Sangria is a summer blood-colored drink, as its name comes from the Spanish “sangre”.
It was born in 1800 in the Iberian peninsula, thanks to the intuition and “good taste” of the Spanish and Portuguese peasants, who combined the fruits of the earth with red wine. It seems that in those parts the saying “if red wine makes good blood, sangria makes it espectacular”, … and it’s right!
Needless to look for the original recipe, now lost, because almost every Spanish has the authorship of the official one. In general, a good full-bodied red wine and good summer fruit includes peaches, apples and citrus fruits. In search of the right balance between fruity and alcoholic taste, a lot of people add Rum, Brandy and spices like cinnamon, cloves and vanilla. Who wants to make it sweeter add even honey while the younger ones use orange juice, to savor it with some bubbles.
In Spain the “Granache” is the kind of wine used most. Without claiming to replace the Spanish tradition, in Sardinia, we use Cannonau, or as our barman suggests, Carignano, the wine of Sulcis area, in South Sardinia. The renowned “Cantine di Santadi” or “Mesa”, never betray us, and allow us to serve an appreciated Sangria all summer long.
Every Sunday at Hotel Baia di Nora, we serve this drink during the aperitif before the Sardinian dinner. The “ritual” of roasting the piglet, while sipping sangria and listening to the stories of our roast master Marco Corda, is one of the most pleasant moments of the evening. We prefer not to reveal the recipe, because we like to challenge you in guessing the right ingredients of “our” sangria: the winner will be prized with the Sardinian citizenship!
