Today I bring you a classic Spanish summer drink: tinto de verano. This is simply a wine cocktail made with red wine, loads of ice and a fizzy lemonade or Gaseosa. The aim is to make it sweeter and less alcoholic so that people can have a refreshing wine treat with their lunch menu at the usual bar and still get back to work in the afternoon without tumbling around. As its name says, this drink is traditionally served in the summer to fight the heat, which is much needed during the sometimes-asphyxiating London summer, but some parents drink this all year round. And it’s always parents. But you know what? Why not? Treat yourself!
BACKGROUND
I have seen photos online of tinto de verano in a pitcher, and I have to say: no, no, no. I understand we all want our photos to look Insta-nice, but serving it in a pitcher would look like sangria. And what is the difference between tinto de verano and sangria? I’m glad you asked! Tinto de verano is simpler, just made with wine and lemonade. This is why you mix it straight into a glass and you wouldn’t serve it in a pitcher. The fizz would also go flat. To make sangria you add those two ingredients, or replacing the lemonade by orange Fanta, plus other liqueurs like gin or rum, but most importantly fresh fruit pieces like orange, peach or apple, which are left for a few hours or overnight for the flavours to combine. The only fruit you would add to a tinto de verano is a slice or two of lemon, more for decorating, but some individuals are known for eating it.
Regarding the wine mixer, I think it’s more generic to see it with soda. Please do not attempt to use tonic or your mouth will turn inside out. The trick is to make it sweeter, since the wine is quite astringent already, so sparkling water will not do the job. Fizzy lemonade makes it so much better than soda, or it might be me, that I have a lower tolerance for bitter flavours. In Spain we normally use Lemon Fanta, but you can also use Sprite or 7 Up. Again, if you’re a health freak like me you might think you can use just lemon juice, but I tell you, don’t even. There are sugar-free versions of soft drinks that might be healthier, disputable, but at the end of the day it depends on how often you drink this. In my case, once in a blue moon.
This is not the kind of cocktail you make with your friends to drink all night and get drunk. This is a low alcohol beverage that people drink socially with their friends and beloved ones and generally with a meal.
Whoever knows me, they know I hardly ever drink, but I do like a tinto de verano because it’s sweet and it cools you down in the summer. Wine tends to get to my head very quickly, so my recipe is quite on the prudish side. If you fancy wine and you want to add half and half, go for it.
PLANT POWER, MAKE UP!
Did you think that wine was vegan?
Wine doesn’t tend to be vegan. How come? It turns out that animal protein is used in one of the manufacturing steps. Winemakers use fining agents (albumin, casein, gelatine or isinglass) to clarify the wine, i.e., to make it clearer and therefore less cloudy. This makes wine not only not vegan but not even vegetarian! But don’t you fret, because nowadays more and more winemakers are opting for more natural methods such as clay-based fining agents or activated charcoal. I’ve seen vegan wines in supermarkets, so there is no need to go to specialised stores. Look for the vegan or vegetarian icon but don’t look at the ingredients list. Fining agents are not declared on the label because they precipitate and are removed from the finished product, although some traces might remain. Not all winemakers label their wine as vegan due to the bad rep vegans sometimes get, so alternatively, you can search online for vegan wine brands and then shop them.
TINTO DE VERANO
Makes: As much as you want
Prep: 2 min
INGREDIENTS
1/3 red wine
2/3 fizzy lemonade (Lemon Fanta, Sprite, 7 Up or others) or soda
Ice cubes
Lemon slices to decorate
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut some lemon slices (be creative if you wish!) and add a good amount of ice cubes per glass.
- Fill 1/3 or more of each glass with red wine, up to taste. Fill the rest with lemonade or soda. Stir slowly to combine.
You should drink it straightaway or the fizz will go flat!
Bon profit!