Sangria Wine and Cocktail

And we are back at it again with the Fuss-free “series”! What was originally a lament about how the pandemic has shifted our drinking habits and how we can do it better with the given circumstances, has now turned into a full-blown arsenal of tips and tricks aimed to get your drink on- in style and in comfort.

This time around, we wanted to sashay into keeping things classy and what exudes class better than wine? Or at least perceived class. This is in no way a knock on other types of alcoholic beverages or wine itself, rather, it is a tip of the hat to the portrayal of the beverage over the years in mass media and society at large to attain such a status.

 

The Wine Connection

These days we tend to see and hear more about a niche profession dedicated to the understanding of intricate taste profiles of wine and its history in the form of Sommeliers, but don’t be fooled. The duties of the modern-day Sommelier can be traced back to the 1300s where Butlers were commonplace for Noble and wealthy families. Part of the Butlers’ duties included sourcing and procuring higher end bottles of fine wine, presumably for special occasions (or just for the King), as well as decent but less expensive bottles for general household consumption (thus the term house pours). This is reminiscent of Sommeliers today who, in addition to sourcing and procuring, also recommend you the best wine suited to your tastes or even the perfect wine to pair with your food. In the local context, more often than not however, this tends to happen in upscale establishments which may have also had a subconscious effect on how we perceive wine.

 

Sangria- It’s Fruit Punch, with Alcohol

Similar to how the roots of modern-day Sommeliers can be traced to way back when, the boozy fruit punch known as Sangria is no different. A palatable and brief history on the origins of this beverage is that it dates back thousands of years and the reason for its existence is logical as opposed to luxurious – lack of potable (as in safe to drink, not ‘easy to carry around’) drinking water. Although such a problem is almost unfathomable in the world we live in today, this was indeed very real back then and with it, came an ingenious solution. Early civilizations of Greeks and Romans figured out that mixing undrinkable water with wine turns the water potable and that adding whatever was already available on hand such as spices and sugar and later on, fruits, made the taste less horrible overall. 

The Spanish, however, were responsible for Sangria’s popularity and even the name itself- which stands for Blood in Spanish, is a reference to the red Spanish Tempranillo Wine and other wine from Rioja used in Sangria which is the most common iteration of the beverage. Other versions using white wine, sparkling wine and zurra (which is made with peaches) also exist but for the purposes of our recipe, we will be focusing on the version made with red wine. We have an article purely on Spanish wines which you can get into separately.

Suffice to say, if you only have white wine or sparkling wine on hand, you can still use this recipe.

 

What You Need

  1. Fruits
  2. Wine (Red wine, White wine, or Sparkling wine)
  3. Mixer (Fruit Juice, Brandy or Rum)
  4. Sugar Syrup (optional)

Ideally, we suggest using a myriad of fruits and yes, this would be the perfect situation to dump your leftover lone apple, orange, or anything else you might have in the fridge. That said, do apply a bit of discretion as not all your favorite fruits should be mixed with alcohol and drunk (i.e., Durian. Please don’t.)

 

Cheap Wine Singapore

It is important to mention that your wine does not have to be expensive. Remember you are mixing it with many other ingredients at the end of the day so if you happen to have an exquisite bottle, save that to enjoy on its own. The better the wine however, the better the taste- up to a certain point before diminishing returns sets in of course.

A simple search for “cheap wine Singapore” is enough to lead you to a slew of wallet-friendly choices. If you want to keep it traditional, the Vina Paceta Rioja Crianza is both cheap (only $24 on sale! U.P $32) and a Spanish red wine from Rioja. Right on the money, literally. Should it be one of those days where you are looking to “treat yoself” as it were, the Wolf Blass Gold Label Barrosa Shiraz 2016 might be the one to go for. This mid-level (currently priced at around $35, U.P. $45) red wine boasts a rich and fleshy concentrated palate with intense dark berry & blood-plum aromas. If you need a bit more convincing to splash the cash, a search on “wolf blass wine review” should set you straight.

 

Brandy or Rum?

In line with keeping things affordable, we would recommend leaning towards Brandy as opposed to Rum where mixers are concerned. A small bottle of Mont Castle French Brandy (180ml) sets you back less than $10 based on sale prices and less than $20 on regular days. The smooth, full body adds depth to the mixture but use sparingly as it does pack a punch in the alcohol concentration department.

On the other end of the spectrum, to truly set your Sangria apart from the rest of the class, go with a touch or more of Sailor Jerry Spiced Caribbean Rum. True to its name, those spicy notes they are renowned for and the overall smoothness blends exceptionally well, not to mention you’ll be keeping it traditional through and through by adding a spice element.

If you’re on a tight budget, you could also choose to do away with this entirely and stick with fruit juice instead. But if you’re shooting for a good ol’ time, you know what to do.

 

How to Make

  1. Chop up your chosen fruits into smaller pieces. Chopping them into similar sizes works better for presentation and infusion with the red wine.
  2. Toss the chopped fruits into a large pitcher and add the full bottle of red wine (usually 750ml).
  3. Add 150ml of fruit juice preferably on the citrusy side such as orange or pomegranate and 100ml of Brandy or Rum to the mixture. If you can’t be bothered with specific measurements, add them to taste.
  4. Leave the mixture in the fridge to chill for around 30 minutes to 1 hour. Lengthening the duration produces better results due to an increased infusion.
  5. Preferably serve chilled and not over ice as it dilutes the taste. Add sugar syrup if necessary.

Pro-tip: Once you’ve eked out every last drop of your home-made Sangria and have not already consumed the chopped fruits, stash them away in a container in the fridge or freezer. Now the next time you’re feeling a little peckish, you’ll have the perfect boozy snack/popsicle perfect for Singapore’s hot and humid climate.

 

Alcohol Delivery

We keep abreast of Covid restrictions locally and with the current 2HA, we implore all of you to stay home as much as possible. As always, all alcohol options used in our recipe above are available on the Cellarbration website and we provide delivery right to your doorstep when you need it most.

So the next time you have some leftover fruit and your two health-conscious friends over for dinner, keep our recipe in mind and urge them to try your latest healthy (wink,wink) culinary feat- a liquid salad served in a glass.

Till then, we’ll think of more recipes for you to try at home while we ride out this storm together!