Thirsty Jueves! Strawberry Peach White Sangria

Spain is known for sangria - red wine mixed with liquor and full of fruit, often served in a brightly painted ceramic pitcher. Flamenco, bullfights, sangria - it's the trifecta of what first comes to mind for many people when they think of Spain. But I have a confession...

On a hot summer day, I prefer tinto de verano. To me it's lighter and more refreshing than traditional sangria. And let's be honest, you feel like less of a tourist when you realize that you're drinking what the locals are. It's also simpler and easier to make at home, for those lazy afternoons on the patio.

Don't get me wrong, sangria is delicious. But when I take the time to make it, I prefer this version:

Strawberry Peach White Sangria

Thirsty Jueves: Cran Cava Cocktail

It just takes 2 simple ingredients to bring a little extra Christmas cheer to your casa. We almost always have cranberry juice in the refrigerator and we try to keep a bottle of cava on hand. It's such a delicious and inexpensive sparkling wine, you don't have to save it for fancy occasions. There's something fun about opening a bottle to celebrate a random Thursday and adding a little cranberry juice brings some tasty holiday flavor. 

The recipe is simple:

-chilled cava (we prefer brut, but whatever you like)

-cranberry juice (or cran pom or whatever)

-cranberries (bonus points for garnish!)

This is one of those rare times when the type of glass does count. Use a champagne flute! Put a splash of cran in the bottom, along with the berries if you have them, then fill with cava. 

It's perfect for a holiday fiesta (and easy for guests to mix for themselves) and just as good while curled up on the couch watching Christmas movies.

¡Salud and Felices Fiestas!

Thirsty Jueves: Dark & Stormy edition

One of Graham's favorite drinks (and one of the only rum cocktails that Meghann likes) is the Dark & Stormy. There are only a few ingredients - black rum, ginger beer, and a lime wedge. But the most traditional rum, Gosling's, and the star ingredient, ginger beer, are impossible to find aqui. 

We drank "a few" of these sailor drinks when we were holed up during Superstorm Sandy in DC with friends (the area was so lucky and we didn't even lose power where we were staying). And the rainy weather that is typical in Spain during the Fall has us thinking about them again. Unfortunately, there is only a little bit of our stash left. So, if you can get your hands on the ingredients, make some and think of us.

Dark & Stormy

In a tumbler with ice, add

-2 ounces of black rum (more or less)

-fill with ginger beer (not to be confused with ginger ale)

-lime wedge (not just for looks)

A Dark & Stormy is a great way to brighten up a day when you're stuck indoors and is just as good on a sunny deck or beach. Something we are really missing right now... 

Not-so-Dark & Stormy at Pusser's in sunny Annapolis, MD in July.

Thirsty Jueves: Rebujito

Last Friday, we went down to the beach to enjoy the sunset with some beverages and snacks.

We packed up the ingredients to make rebujitos - the unofficially official beverage of feria, but also a refreshing drink for summer.

The most important ingredient (there are only 2, unless you count ice) is manzanilla. Manzanilla is a type of sherry - let's stop right there. We know what you're thinking. Gross, the stuff that you keep in the kitchen and hardly ever use, unless you're from Maryland and you put it in your cream of crab soup. Unrelated note: Marylanders are weird and particular when it comes to crab products. 

But that is not Spanish sherry and definitely not manzanilla. Manzanilla is a dry sherry and can only be made in the town of Sanlucar de Barrameda, home of the beach horse races. Because it is produced so close to the sea, people say that there is a faint salty taste to it. And more importantly, it's delicious.