Thursday’s final presentation on alcoholic popsicles led me to think about other forms of alcoholic “foods.” One that immediately came to mind was sangria. It’s a drink that I’ve always associated with good weather and good company. I’ve also thought of sangria as an easy-to-make drink, though I’ve never tried myself. And with the fruit chunks, especially frozen, I feel like it would be an entertaining snack.
So a couple of questions came to mind --Why don’t more festivals offer sangria as a beverage option? What is the history of sangria? How difficult is it to make sangria? Could frozen sangria be an alternative to frosé?
It turns out that Sangria has a history that dates back to festivals - the 1964 World’s Fair in New York - specifically served at the Pavilion of Spain. And even before that, in the 1700s and 1800s, sangria was made in England and France using traditional grapes — white sangria, sparkling sangria, and sangria with peaches (zurra).
And it also turns out that the red drink filled with chunks of fruit that I’d always defined as "sangria" is just one form. Sangria means blood in Spanish, but not all sangria is made with red wine; it can be made with white wine, cava, and even cider. Today there is no official recipe, and a quick Google search reveals pages and pages of sangria recipe options. Apparently, there is also a similar alternative in Spain called “Tinto de Verano” which includes red wine, ice, and lemon soda or casera (artificially sweetened soda water).
As suspected, there are reports of sangria being the key to tapping into the ever elusive millennials. A global drinks analyst writes, “Sangria taps into a number of trends currently attracting Millennials, namely a tase for ’sweeter, refreshing, fruitier flavors,’ and an interest in ‘alcohol category blurring.’” Not surprisingly, the U.S. is the biggest international market for Sangria — and yet, I have yet to see sangria as a popular alternative at many festivals and large scale events.
And for the millennial segment that doesn’t have the patience to create DIY drinks there is also apparently a bottled alternative - Capriccio Bubbly Sangria. Even though it is made with grape wine, real fruit juices, and natural fruit flavors, many report its strong effect -- comparing it to Four Loko.
As the weather gets warmer, I will likely try experimenting with some of my own sangria recipes... and maybe a few frozen sangria popsicles.
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