Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, is on Monday. The whole country will be turning on their grills and the flavors of grilled lamb, beef short ribs, kebabs, steaks, chicken, and fish will fill the air. I like to start the celebration with a big pitcher of sangria.
For some, Sangria is typically a Mediterranean drink served at Spanish restaurants in beautiful pottery jugs, made from red wine and fruit. However, sangria doesn’t originate from Spain. Legend has it that the British East India Company travelled to India and tried a drink known as Pac that contained five ingredients referred to in its name- eau de vie, sugar, lemon, water and tea.
The British took this recipe back from the East Indies and the name of the drink evolved into punch. The word punch became ponche in Spanish, used to describe sangria which is, in essence, a fruit punch. Even the French claim to have created this drink that they call sang-gris. Truth be told, the Greeks, Romans, and Ancient Israelites all had various drinks that they made from a base of red wine, fruit juices, and honey because the water was not fit to drink since it was used to bathe in and also used for various other unclean reasons.
No matter where it originates, it is a refreshing spring and summer drink that is perfect as a cocktail served by the pool or with a light summer meal on the terrace. If you search, you will find hundreds of variations of sangria, some even adding ginger ale or Sprite! I prefer to make mine with the minimum of ingredients: wine, fruit, a cinnamon stick or ginger syrup, and a splash of Cointreau or brandy.
- 2 orange sliced thinly
- 1/2 apple cut into cubes
- 2 small red plums nectarines or other stone fruit, cut into cubes
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 bottle red wine such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, or other dry red
- 2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
- 3 tablespoons Cointreau or brandy
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Put all of the fruit and cinnamon stick in a large pitcher. Add the red wine, orange juice and Cointreau. Stir well and chill for 3-4 hours or overnight to allow the flavors to meld together. Serve over ice.
- 1 orange sliced thinly
- 1 lemon sliced thinly
- 1/2 apple cut into cubes
- 1 bottle white wine such as Emerald Riesling or Chardonnay
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 3 tablespoon ginger syrup
- 3 tablespoons Cointreau or brandy
- 1 cup of water
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup fresh ginger peeled and sliced thinly
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Place the water and sugar in a small pan, and bring to a boil. Add the ginger slices and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool and place in a glass jar. Keep refrigerated.
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Put all of the fruit in a large pitcher. Add the white wine, orange juice, ginger syrup and Cointreau. Stir well and chill for 3-4 hours or overnight to allow the flavors to meld together. Serve over ice.
Very interesting information. That ginger syrup sounds like a great sweetener. I bet it would be good in the red sangria too and in all sorts of foods, like over ice cream or even a bit drizzled on plain yogurt with fruit.
Do you already have prunes and nectarines in season or are they imported?
Hi Faye,
Yes, we have local nectarines and peaches in the shuk and the supermarkets, but they are small and still a bit sour. They should be much better in the next couple of weeks. Currently, you can only find red and green sour plums in the markets, which would not be appropriate for drinks.
I love Sangria! It is definitely the perfect warm weather drink. Can’t wait to try both of these versions.
Hi Katherine,
Please let me know how they turn out.
This looks great, I am totally making this for tomorrow…off to buy the ingredients!