Tapas and Sangria Food Pairings

 The little appetizers that go oh-so-well with sangria recipes

All happy summers should include happy summer drink pairings.

This year, we’re recommending food pairings with sangria to help keep you filled up and cooled down during those hot Boston summers.

Why we like sangria food pairing:  It’s always trendy.  Plus, it’s a bit more unique than the typical beer-and-BBQ on which many of us overdose throughout the summer.

Tapas and sangria are a large and delicious part of the Spanish culture.  Sangria, named after the Spanish word “sangre,” meaning blood (in reference to the typical dark red color), is frequently and famously paired with tapas, or “caps.” Tapas are similar to small appetizers and meant to accompany drinking—and thus minimize the amount of people stumbling home from Spanish restaurants and bars at the end of the night!

Spice up your summer with these four outstanding Sangria and Tapas Food Pairings:

Red Wine Sangria served with Chorizo

This spicy sausage tapa pairs well with this cherry and Tempranillo sangria recipe.

Cherry Sangria Recipe

You’ll need:

• 1 bottle Tempranillo
• 3 tbsp sugar
• ¾ cup brandy
• ¾ cup triple sec
• ¾ cup peach schnapps
• 2 ½ cups orange juice
• 1 ¾ cup no sugar added cherry juice
• 1 whole star anise
• 2 vanilla beans (each split in half)
• Sliced apples, oranges, cherries
• Soda water

Directions:

Pour the wine into a large pitcher.  Add sugar and stir until it dissolves.

Mix in brandy, triple sec, peach schnapps, orange juice and cherry juice.

Add the star anise and vanilla bean.

Add sliced fruits to taste.

Cover and put in the refrigerator overnight.

Remove the star anise and vanilla bean.

Add a splash of soda water.

Red Wine Sangria served with Albondigas
Albondigas, or spicy meatballs, pair with the fruitiness of this most common red wine sangria recipe.

Traditional Red Wine Sangria Recipe

You’ll need:

• 1 bottle Cabernet or Merlot
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 1 orange, cut into wedges
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• One 8 oz can pineapples
• 2 tbsp sugar
• ½ cup orange juice
• 2 shots triple sec
• 1 cup raspberries
• 4 cups ginger ale

Directions:

Pour the wine into a large pitcher.  Squeeze in the juice from the lemon, orange and lime wedges before adding the squeezed wedges to the pitcher.

Mix in pineapple (with juice from can), sugar, orange juice and triple sec.

Put in refrigerator overnight.

Before serving, add raspberries and ginger ale.

White Wine Sangria served with Calamari
Fried squid, like most seafood, couples well with white wine, and thus is a perfect match for this Albarino sangria recipe.

You’ll need:

• 1 bottle Albarino (or other white wine)
• 3 oranges, cut into wedges
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 1 green apple, sliced
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 oz brandy
• 2 oz cointreau
• ½ liter ginger ale

Directions:

Pour the wine into a large pitcher.  Squeeze in the juice from the orange, lemon and lime wedges before adding the squeezed wedges and sliced apples into the pitcher.

Stir in sugar, cointreau and brandy.

Put in refrigerator overnight.

Before serving, add the ginger ale.

Apple Cider Sangria served with Jamon Iberico
Jamon Iberico is often referred to as the world’s best ham, and like other ham recipes, it goes great with this apple cider sangria recipe.

Apple Cider Sangria Recipe

You’ll need:

• 1 bottle Pinot Grigio
• 2 ½ cups apple cider
• 3 apples, sliced
• 3 pears, sliced
• ½ cup ginger brandy
• 1 cup club soda

Directions:

Pour wine and apple cider into a pitcher.

Add apples, pears and brandy.

Put in refrigerator overnight.

Before serving, add club soda.