Sangría, ¡Salud!

It was a not-so-typical college experience abroad. The smell of ethnic punch and el ritmo de reggaeton, too sophisticated for Americans, he said. My senses apprehensive yet enticed, this was a new experience. I had a right to be anxious, the taste of alcohol gave me the sweats, Asian splotch and sometimes chest pains.

His name is a blurry H in my head, was it "Hector?" Un puertorriqueño that was hired by la Universidad de Puerto Rico (en Río Piedras) to be our tour guide. He was a party boy, taking young college kids on a hike through El Yunque Rainforest. We spent about three to four hours in the rain - sticky, flimsy souvenir ponchos and wishing the dull traction on my Nikes would somehow grip onto mossy stone steps. It poured throughout our hike and we were exhausted when we returned to our tour buses. "Hector," a firm believer in upholding the "Puerto Rican Party" stereotype, decided that we all needed a little sangría to recover on our way back to la universidad.

Sangría on Wheels from Brandi Nohealani Salas on Vimeo.

This was my first sangría experience and I was only 19-years-old (drinking age in PR is 18-years-old). I remember it wasn't as sophisticated as some make it sound. Hector drove our bus to this industrial area and walked into a white warehouse. He then emerged with recycled water and Gatorade bottles of this red juice that he insists...he INSISTS...was the BEST sangría that we would ever taste in our lives. He bought a bag of ice and plastic picnic cups and happily distributed them among us. We blasted Alexis y Fido's "Eso Ehh" (the most popular song in PR at the time) and danced all the way back to la avenida universidad.

 Recently, I've tasted a different kind of sangría, richer and less "juice box-y" than Hector's version - no offense, Hector - but it had real fruit - pulp and orange/lemon rinds. Here is a recipe that a mentor (whose name shall remain confidential) was so kind to share with me. It's his take on this original recipe. Luckily this does not give me the Asian splotch.

[Photo credit: abbyyphotos on flickr]

Sangría: la receta de mi mentor

"1 botella de 750 ml de vino tinto seco [generalmente uso Tochuelo, Tempranillo o Garnacha]
1 lata de 7UP
1 1/2 tazas de jugo de naranja
2 limones reales ["lemons" en inglés] 2 y limones ["limes" en inglés. ¿Qué rollo, no? Pero muy fácil: dos limones verdes y dos amarillos] cortados por mitad y en rodajitas
1 naranja en tercios y rodajas
1/2 taza de brandy
1/4 de azucar
2 cucharas soperas de Cointreu [yo siempre uso Triple sec porque es lo que siempre tengo a mano para las margaritas. Pero ayer usé Curaçao y creo que me gustó más]
2 cucharas soperas de grenadina
el jugo de 1 limón verde y 1 amarillo.
hielo

Preparación:

Abrir la botella de vino y checar que esté buena. Rebanar los cítricos. Checar si el vino ya ha respirado suficiente. Poner los cítricos y los demás ingredientes en una ponchera. Checar una vez más que el vino esté al punto. Añadir el vino. Probar la sangría y abrir otra botella de vino para completar lo que nos bebimos al comenzar la preparación. Checar una vez más que la sangría esté perfecta. Refrigerar por lo menos 30 minutos, pero es mejor que remoje varias horas."


Feeling a little adventurous? Try a Strawberry & Peach Sangría.