It's Sangria season, and lets be honest, some of the insipid concoctions served at the local ‘chiringuitos’ (beach bars) here on the Costa del Sol leave a LOT to be desired. Of course there's Sangria and then there’s SANGRIA but most of us non professional mixologists when mixing up a batch at home usually end up with a basic punch full of chopped fruit, red wine, sherry or (shock horror!) brandy and a soft drink of some sort. So with the current craze for re-creating traditional cocktails I decided this week to search through some of the worlds mixology gurus and see if anyone had come up with a new take on the old classic Sangria. This one was so decidedly different I thought it worth a mention: Roger Kugler, sommelier and general manager at Suba restaurant in Manhattan has come up with an ‘ Almond and Lemon Fino Sangria’ by combining tea, pureed almonds, fino Sherry, and fresh lemon juice, served with a garnish of sliced apple. He says Earl Grey tea is a good choice, but any black tea would probably suffice. The trick is to cold brew it to preserve and enhance the tannins rather than cook them out. A bit of a hybrid Sangria I know, but certainly a refreshing change from the tired old sickly sweet red stuff we buy by the jug-full. Unfortunately Kugler hasn’t been generous enough to part with the recipe for his ‘Almond and Lemon Fino Sangria’ but I reckon he’s given us enough of an idea to have a go anyway. If you’re brave enough, let me know the verdict! I intend to experiment this weekend. I’ll be fine as long as I don’t try and convince the Spanish Hubby its Sangria!
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
It's Sangria Season.... Yawn!
It's Sangria season, and lets be honest, some of the insipid concoctions served at the local ‘chiringuitos’ (beach bars) here on the Costa del Sol leave a LOT to be desired. Of course there's Sangria and then there’s SANGRIA but most of us non professional mixologists when mixing up a batch at home usually end up with a basic punch full of chopped fruit, red wine, sherry or (shock horror!) brandy and a soft drink of some sort. So with the current craze for re-creating traditional cocktails I decided this week to search through some of the worlds mixology gurus and see if anyone had come up with a new take on the old classic Sangria. This one was so decidedly different I thought it worth a mention: Roger Kugler, sommelier and general manager at Suba restaurant in Manhattan has come up with an ‘ Almond and Lemon Fino Sangria’ by combining tea, pureed almonds, fino Sherry, and fresh lemon juice, served with a garnish of sliced apple. He says Earl Grey tea is a good choice, but any black tea would probably suffice. The trick is to cold brew it to preserve and enhance the tannins rather than cook them out. A bit of a hybrid Sangria I know, but certainly a refreshing change from the tired old sickly sweet red stuff we buy by the jug-full. Unfortunately Kugler hasn’t been generous enough to part with the recipe for his ‘Almond and Lemon Fino Sangria’ but I reckon he’s given us enough of an idea to have a go anyway. If you’re brave enough, let me know the verdict! I intend to experiment this weekend. I’ll be fine as long as I don’t try and convince the Spanish Hubby its Sangria!
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