Happy Thursday, everyone! It’s been a while, but I’m finally back with a Thirsty Thursday drink post, and y’all…it’s a good one. Tinto de Verano! Ever heard of it? Me neither! Until a few months ago, when we were at a tapas bar, and my friend Amy told us about the summer she spent living with a host family in Spain. She discovered a lot of awesome things about the country that summer, not least among which was the joys of tinto de verano. Which, as it turns out, translates into “red wine of summer” and is made from red wine mixed with fizzy lemonade/lemon soda. Like sangria, but a little more basic. Poor man’s sangria with a lovely, poetic name? I like it! (Incidentally, Amy also drank a lot of something called “kalimotxo”, which is red wine + Coke, but I still haven’t reconciled my mind/taste buds to that yet, so we won’t talk about it anymore.)
OK, back to this recipe. Which can barely be called a recipe, but it’s so damn easy. Just make a pitcher of lemonade (or go the store and buy some), crack open a bottle of wine, fill a glass with ice, and pour. One part lemonade, one part wine. Boom. Done. Instant delicious adult beverage that, as its name suggests, is perfect for a summer day/night. Dan and I enjoyed ours after work this week, on the baclony, with a plate of cheese and crackers (otherwise known as dinner). And it was delicious – sweet, tart, and a bit fizzy. It really did taste a lot like sangria, though with less of a kick ‘cuz there’s less alcohol. So basically, it’s very drinkable. I might go pour myself another glass right now…
Are y’all going to try it, or what??? And speaking of summery drinks that you should all try (b/c I’m definitely going to):
- Lemonade with limoncello??? Yum! It’s a good thing Amy brought me back a bottle from her honeymoon recently . Love that girl.
- Anything with cucumber in it is bound to be deliciously refreshing and perfect for summer weather.
- Is it still watermelon season? I hope so, because I want to make all of these. ASAP.
- Unsurprisingly, I’m still obsessed with cherries, and these drinks are calling my name big time.
- A martini that tastes like cheesecake? I am so on board with that.
- Love me a good breakfast smoothie – this one looks particularly tasty.
- If you like mint juleps, give this one with ginger syrup a try!
** PS: There’s still time to enter my bacon jams giveaway!
- 1 cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed (or store-bought...whatever)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water + another 2-3 cups water
- 2 cups club soda
- 1 750mL bottle red wine
- lemon slices, for garnish
- In a pot over medium-low heat, combine sugar and 1 cup water and bring it to a low simmer.
- Swirl pot (don't stir) until sugar is dissolved and liquid is clear. Remove simple syrup from heat and set aside to cool.
- In a large pitcher, combine lemon juice, simple syrup, 2 cups water and your club soda. Stir.
- Taste your lemonade - if it's too tart/sweet, add the remaining cup of water.
- Fill a glass with ice and lemon slices.
- Fill the glass half-way with lemonade, then top it off with red wine. (If you have a big enough pitcher, you can just combine the lemonade/wine in there...all of mine were too small to handle that much volume)
- Stir gently, then enjoy!
I have never heard of tried a tinto de verano before.. think I am missing out on something seriously delicious. Could definitely devour a glass right now, I have to try the recipe!
Let me know if you try it!
Please read the first line of your directions again. Water + 1 cup of water
Good catch, thanks! It’s been corrected 🙂
Thanks for the link love! Cheers! 🙂
What kind of red wine do you suggest to use?