Sangria: Know the basics

By Maisie Dembski

What’s one thing that almost everyone associates with Spain? Not its memorable tapas, or its traditional flamenco dancing, that other one… Sangria!

 As someone who had never been to Spain before January, I was very excited to delve into this infamous drink during my time abroad. Of course, I knew the basic idea of what sangria was, but I had certainly never tried an authentic batch of it before.

 After arriving in Spain, I quickly learned that sangria is on almost every drink that you could possibly find in this country. What I didn’t learn until a little bit later when I participated in Local Food Experience’s Sangria Tasting Experience, is that most locals do not go out and drink sangria. Rather, sangria is a drink that is traditionally made at home, each family harboring their own unique recipe.

During this exciting experience, I also learned a lot about what actually defines sangria. Originally, as most people do, I pictured all sangrias as  colorful drinks made with red wine and a collection of fruits. Although a lot of sangrias do look like this, I learned that any wine mixer is technically considered a sangria. For example, a classic Spanish drink that is typically enjoyed during Sevilla’s April Fería, called a Rebujito, is technically a type of sangria. This tasty drink is a mixture of sherry wine and 7-Up or Sprite, but it still falls in the sangria family!