Sangria is typically created from red wine, fruit juices, soda water, fruit and sometimes brandy. When making your own Sangria, use a good quality red wine, and be sure to let it chill overnight. Use Rioja to get the authentic Spanish flavor, but definitely choose something you like - you're the one drinking it! In the morning, pour into a pitcher full of ice cubes, garnish with fresh fruit, and enjoy.
I am not one to believe all that I read but you asked for a pro opinion.
Not everyone considers using a good wine to make sangr�a a waste of the wine, if one loves sangr�a, the better the wine used the yummier
If you wish to quote a generalist, not a Spain specialist, from About.com, on the subject be my guest and if you want to make Sangria from Rioja, enjoy.
Gerry Dawes
Posts: 97 | Location: Suffern, NY USA | Registered: 23 March 2002
posted 06 september 2002 03:48 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi Gerry and Jeremy,
You guys have the most interesting posts. I have a question, can you make Sangria with Freixenet Cava?
Of course, you can make sangria from cava, but you are just substituting bubbly made by a more expensive process for the carbonated soda or Casera. Still wine and sparkling water will do about the same thing.
And as to prefering sangria made from Rioja or Don Simon, those are Jer's choices not mine. I would not make sangria from either. Any decent red or white that is pleasant to drink will make a very good sangria - - if you have the right recipe. Don't forget the secret ingredient that really "makes" a sangria authentic. I am sure Jer, the old Sangria-meister will tell you what that is.
Gerry Dawes
Posts: 97 | Location: Suffern, NY USA | Registered: 23 March 2002
And as to prefering sangria made from Rioja or Don Simon, those are Jer's choices not mine. I would not make sangria from either. Any decent red or white that is pleasant to drink will make a very good sangria - - if you have the right recipe. Don't forget the secret ingredient that really "makes" a sangria authentic. I am sure Jer, the old Sangria-meister will tell you what that is.
Sorry, I hit the reply button before I engaged my internal "edit" button.
Gerry Dawes
Posts: 97 | Location: Suffern, NY USA | Registered: 23 March 2002
Soooo, back to the food at El Botin. I have a great picture of the roast suckling pig which I ordered at the restaurant back in April when I was there for my son's 21st birthday. I also have a picture of the roasted lamb which my son ordered. Both were excellent as was the garlic soup with egg. I don't, however, know how to post them to this board so that you can see them. Jer, can I send you the pictures to post?
It was a fun evening with friends, in a fabulous restaurant filled with atmosphere and history and really good food. The one thing that I will never forget about this restaurant was that at the end of the meal when we were all contemplating what to order for dessert, the waiters came to our table singing "happy birthday" with this fabulous - HUGE - candle lit chocolate cake! Well, needless to say, we declined to order dessert - who needed to order dessert when we had this great cake before us? After my son blew out the candles, they took the cake away to cut into pieces for us to enjoy, right? WRONG! We waited...and waited...but still no cake! We joked that it was probably a fake cake that they used for everyone who had a birthday. Sure enough, soon after that the waiters went singing "Happy Birthday" over to another table with "OUR" cake! We all just roared laughing - boy did we feel like the stupid Americans! We were too embarrassed to tell the waiter we changed our mind about dessert. We finished our coffee and left. Good thing I had some Lifesavers in my purse! Saludos, Mama Chula
Posts: 31 | Location: Santa Barbara, CA USA | Registered: 15 March 2002
Hey Jer, I'm glad you never get tired of reading my birthday cake story (smart Alec! ). I'll see if I can find another thread in which to post it yet again! I guess no one else found it amusing as I have yet to get a comment about it. It just seemed such a strange thing to do, accustomed as I am to being able to keep - and eat - the object on which a candle has been placed whilst being sung to on my birthday, which by the way is September 23rd Does no one else find that odd?
Anyway, thanks for posting my dinner to the web page. I'll tell Matt that his are "the hands seen 'round the world" made famous by Mr. Jer Saludos, Mama Chula
Posts: 31 | Location: Santa Barbara, CA USA | Registered: 15 March 2002
For many of the same reasons already outlined, I like Casa Bot�n. There is mention made as it being the oldest restaurant in the world. All I know is I'm never disappointed when I eat there.
I always order cochinillo with casera [not a drinker...sorry], along with something "flan-y" for dessert if there's still room.
Last year I took a friend there on his first trip to Spain, and he still talks about it...the ambience, the food, the everything. It reall is "so Spain." I suggest that you make plans for late night, and try to get out of the "tourist seating area" in front by the kitchen.
...de todos modos, �provecho!
Euskaldun
Posts: 33 | Location: En un lugar de California de cuyo nombre no quiero acordarme... | Registered: 14 June 2001
- rent or buy a cell phone from me for your stay in spain, more info at 
- already have a cell phone, get a spanish SIM card for it at 
I guess no one else found it amusing as I have yet to get a comment about it. It just seemed such a strange thing to do, accustomed as I am to being able to keep - and eat - the object on which a candle has been placed whilst being sung to on my birthday, which by the way is September 23rd 
