I think I'm pretty safe in saying that sangria is the hottest cool drink of summer 2009. You can't exactly call this fruity wine punch trendy - it's been around too long - but it goes perfectly with the foods that are trendy right now. That means every Latino restaurant and tapas bar in the area is offering its variation on the red wine and fruit juice theme. (Not to mention non-Latino cafes and wine bars.)
No other mixed drink that I can think of can be made so many different ways. These days you can use red, white or sparkling wine. The juice can be anything fruity. Brandy and orange liqueur are often added, along with a sweetener. Or not. Just before serving, some places pour in a bit of club soda along with ice to give it sparkle. Sangria's only constant seems to be cut-up fruit.
What's needed is some kind of guide to sangria before summer slips away. And I'm here to give it to you.
Saturday
My husband and I are sitting at the bar at Tapas Teatro next to the Charles Theatre, drinking what will be the first of many glasses of sangria at restaurants and bars throughout the area. We've just found out that the red sangria is made with two kinds of Spanish table wine, one dry, one fruitier.
My husband asks me, "Does sangria really need to be made with two different wines?"
I don't know, but Tapas Teatro's red sangria is very fine: a lovely balance with lots of fresh fruit soaked in alcohol. And at $4.75 a glass, it's a bargain. If I have to rate my sangrias, it gets four oles!
The white sangria - available only in the summer - is made with vino verde and a table white. Both contain fruit juices and liqueurs. Unfortunately, the white sangria, which tastes mostly of peach schnapps, gets only one ole!
Sunday
It's so hot we're thinking of having sangria for supper and nothing else. As I remember from my review, Mari Luna Latin Grille in Pikesville has a good one. My memory is right, but I didn't remember the $7.50 price tag, for a glass that has a lot of ice.
The bartender tells us the red is made with a cabernet, while the white's backbone is chardonnay, plus "lots of fruity liqueurs." She won't tell us what juices are used because the recipe is secret. I rephrase my husband's question: "Does sangria really need to have a secret recipe?" But the red is so good I'm not complaining. The white, however, tastes faintly of canned fruit cocktail. Maybe I just don't like white sangria?
