The rebujito cocktail is a drink made with Sherry, which is a fortified Spanish wine. The cocktail originates in Spain, and it is a refreshing citrus punch with sweet and sour flavors. The rebujito is also quite easy to make, only requiring a few easy to find ingredients.
How to Make Rebujito
Make this cocktail in a stemless white wine glass. At its simplest, it is lemonade mixed with dry Sherry, such as Fino or Manzanilla, which are both dry, light, nutty Sherries. The result is a boozy but refreshing lemonade that's perfect for a summer day. This version mixes up a whole batch of Rebujito, so it's great for a party or gathering. If you prefer to make it fizzy, you can replace the lemonade with lemon-lime soda. It makes 8 servings. Pro tip: Do not use cooking Sherry. It has added salt and tastes terrible.
Ingredients
- 1 bottle (750 mL) of dry Sherry, such as Fino or Manzanilla
- 2 liters of lemonade or lemon-lime soda
- 8 mint sprigs
- Ice
Instructions
- In a large bowl or pitcher, combine the Sherry and lemonade or soda. Stir well to mix.
- Fill stemless white wine glasses with ice. Add the lemonade mixture.
- Garnish with a sprig of mint.
Rebujito With Homemade Lemonade
You can make your own lemonade, which often has a fresher flavor than if you use pre-made, bottled lemonade.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 cups water
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 bottle dry Sherry
- 8 mint sprigs
- Ice
Instructions
- In a pan, combine the sugar and water. Cook on high, stirring, until the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from the heat and refrigerate.
- When the water and sugar solution is cold, stir in the lemon juice.
- In a pitcher, combine the lemonade and the Sherry.
- Add the ice and stir.
- Garnish with mint.
Rebujito Variations
You can also alter the flavors of the original recipe in multiple ways:
- Use half lemonade and half lemon-lime soda.
- Use limeade in place of the lemonade or soda.
- Use a fizzy soda, such as cherry limeade, in place of the lemonade or soda.
- Use other flavors of lemonade, such as strawberry or raspberry lemonade.
- Add 1 cup of blackberries or raspberries to the lemonade and sherry mixture and stir, using a spoon to extract the juice lightly as you do.
- Use a dry white wine or a dry sparkling wine in place of the Sherry. Add ½ cup of Cognac or Armagnac to the punch.
- Try it with another dry, fortified wine such as dry Vermouth or a dry Madeira in place of the Sherry.
- Use half brewed iced tea and half lemonade.
About Rebujito
Rebujito is a wine punch, similar to sangria. Punches are the very earliest forms of cocktails created. The originally contained rum, citrus, and spices. Punches were consumed aboard sailing ships from the British East India Company, and they served two purposes. First, making a punch preserved citrus juice so it didn't go rancid on long voyages, which gave the sailors a chance to consume some vitamin C to avoid scurvy. Second, a punch gave them something to drink aside from beer, which would spoil on long voyages. The rebujito punch originated in Andalusia, Spain. The name is a derivative of the Spanish word arrebujar, which means to wrap. Rebujito is often served at Andalusian fairs, called ferias, in the spring and summer as a thirst quencher for fair goers who are parched after consuming dehydrating Fino in the summer heat throughout the day.
Rebujito Is a Refreshing Drink
Lemonade by itself is refreshing, but when you add Sherry, you truly have something special. So while you may not be able to make it to Andalusia this summer to enjoy the feria, you can certainly capture its spirit in your backyard by mixing up a pitcher of rebujito.
