To be honest, I had no idea what sangria was until I went to Spain. I didn't know the difference between fruit punch and sangria. (Yes, I know I lived under a rock.) Nothing was better than going out for a drink in the middle of the day (Spanish time= around 5 or 6p.m.) with my 3 best friends (pictured below: Amanda, Kassi, and Hannah). The streets were crowded with families, laughing and hand gesturing at one another outside their usual tapas bar. Their children were swooning in strollers or playing soccer around tables and chairs, pretending to be Cristiano Ronaldo. I fell in love with watching the people. It was almost a hobby, eavesdropping on Spanish conversations and sneakily taking pictures of them, while I was abroad.
The four of us would meet up in central Sevilla to hang out and enjoy local culture. We found out very quickly how tourist it was to drink Sangria. It was not something the locals drank. They prefer Cruzcampo -beer- or a glass of red wine from the Andalusian region. Or, young people, they drink what is called, tinto de verano, it is red wine with Fanta. After finding out how touristy sangria was, I casually switched to tinto. But I still have a love for sangria, especially because you can make a virgin version of it (I'm only 20). Check out my recipe below and try it for yourself!
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| My last day in Sevilla with my amigas along the River. |
My First Sangria Recipe
Ingredients:
4 cups of Cranberry-Grape Juice
1 cup of Orange Juice
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon Juice
1 apple
1 pear
1 orange
Lemon-lime soda
Directions:
1// Peel and thinly slice the apple, pear, and orange and place in the bottom of the pitcher
2// Cut lemon in half and squeeze juice into the pitcher
3// Pour cranberry-grape juice and orange juice into the pitcher
4// Stir mixture
5// Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours
6// Pour into a glass mixed with lemon-lime soda and enjoy!
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| Cheers! |
There are so many different Sangria recipes. I still want to try Virgin Watermelon Sangria (here). Do you have any favorites?
