Today it was really hot here in Durham. We reached 89F around 4 pm! So it was a great opportunity to make a drink. I usually accompany lunch with this:
Because most of my American friends know what sangría is, I usually call this drink sangría although the correct name is tinto de verano (summer red wine). The main difference is that sangría is made of cheap red wine, orange juice (or Fanta/Crush), some chopped fruit (like oranges and apples), and a second licor (mainly brandy but you can also use rum). In contrast, tinto de verano has fewer ingredients: just Fanta/Crush and red cheap wine (I always add a couple of ice cubes). Sangría has more “body” because of the extra ingredients while tinto de verano is more refreshing. Since I didn’t have other licor, and because I needed to cool off, I decided to make a tinto de verano to accompany my lunch (mashed potatos, some rice, and pork).
Temperatures will continue rising in the next weeks, so now you can cool off by making either a sangría or a tinto de verano. It’s quite simple. Go for it! Enjoy!…
