Just as Spain is known for varied and delicious foods, so are there a number of Spanish cocktails that are tasty, varied, and refreshing. When it comes to cocktails, Spain likes to add its native wines, and it's easy to see why. Whether you like cocktails from Spain like its flavorful wine punch, Sangria, or for its other refreshing beverages, adding Spanish drinks to your cocktail rotation will give you plenty of flavor-packed options.
Zurracapote
Similar to sangria, zurracapote is a mixture of red wine, fruit, sugar, and cinnamon. It is steeped for many days, and it's usually prepared in big batches for fiestas and parties. It yields about five 8-ounce servings.
Ingredients
- 9 ounces of dried peaches, cut into large pieces
- 3½ ounces of raisins
- 3½ ounces of prunes, cut in half
- 750 mL bottle dry red wine, such as Rioja
- 7 ounces of granulated sugar
- A cinnamon stick
- The peel of one lemon
Instructions
- Soak the peaches, raisins and prunes in lukewarm water for two hours.
- Pour the red wine into a saucepan. Add sugar, cinnamon and lemon peel.
- Heat the pan until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Remove it from the heat and stir.
- Strain the dried fruit, and add it to the wine mixture.
- Cover the saucepan with a lid, and return it to a boil for about 15 minutes.
- Refrigerate tightly sealed, for at least three days or up to a week. Reheat to serve warm, or serve chilled.
Rebujito
The rebujito cocktail is a summery mixed drink made from the famous Spanish fortified wine, Sherry. The rebujito cocktail recipe calls for lemonade, Sherry, and mint leaves with plenty of ice. It's the perfect, refreshing summer sipper.
Agua de Valencia
The first agua de Valencia was served in 1959 at Cafe Madrid de Valencia in Valencia, Spain. While it was popular among locals, it didn't become a national phenomenon until the 1970s. This tasty cocktail is created with Cava, a Spanish sparkling wine. If you can't find cava, substitute another sparkling wine, such as Champagne or Prosecco. It makes four 8-ounce servings.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounce London dry gin
- 1½ ounce vodka
- 8 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice
- 750 mL Cava
- Sugar to taste
Instructions
- Combine the gin, vodka, and orange juice in a pitcher and stir.
- Pour in the cava. Add sugar a pinch at a time until the punch has the desired sweetness.
Sangria
Sangria is a refreshing summer wine punch typically made from fruity red or white wines such as Rioja. There are a number of sangria recipes for both red wine sangria and white wine sangria, often with lots of fruit, a sparkling element, and spirits such as brandy.
Flor de Jerez
The name of this cocktail translates to "flower from Sherry," and it's another Sherry-based Spanish cocktail recipe. Use a high quality Amontillado Sherry for this delicate cocktail.
Ingredients
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- Dash of Angostura bitters
- 1½ ounces Amontillado Sherry
- ½ ounce dark rum
- ¼ ounce apricot liqueur
- Ice
Instructions
- Chill a cocktail glass or Champagne coupe.
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the lemon juice, simple syrup, bitters, Sherry, rum, and apricot liqueur.
- Add ice and shake to chill.
- Pour into the chilled glass.
Tinto de Verano
Translated to red of summer, tinto de verano is a wine spritzer with a fancy Spanish name. Use a Spanish wine here - a good Rioja is perfect.
Ingredients
- Ice
- 3 ounces Spanish red wine
- 3 ounces lemon-lime soda
Instructions
- Fill a chilled red wine glass with ice.
- Add the wine and soda. Stir.
- Garnish with an orange peel.
Use Quality Wine for Spanish Mixed Drinks
The key to all of these cocktails is to make them with quality wine. Always mix drinks with a wine that you would drink by itself. Don't count on the other ingredients to raise the quality of wine. Instead, count on the wine to enhance quality ingredients.
