Tinto de Verano
Chapter 5: Sweets & Drinks
Four in the afternoon in Andalusia, the plaza is packed, tables crammed, everyone clutching a sweating highball glass of cheap young Tempranillo cut with a bottle of Casera lemon soda. Bracingly bubbly, dangerously easy to drink, it is built for the high-energy flow of a tapas night. A splash of sweet red vermouth elevates the wine-and-soda mix, adding a backbone of bitter botanicals that earns its place right alongside the jamón ibérico and Gordal olives. The ice cracks, condensation pools on the bar, and the heat finally breaks.
Before you start
Chill the liquids.
The enemy of this drink is melted ice and flat soda, so the wine, vermouth, and soda must spend the night in the refrigerator.
Prep the garnish.
Slice the citrus into half-wheels and store them in an airtight container in the fridge until guests arrive.
Ingredients
- joven Spanish red wine750 ml
- premium lemon soda3 cup
- Spanish sweet red vermouth1/2 cup
- lemon1 large
- orange1 large
- ice cubes8 cup
Method
- 01
Pack the pitcher with ice.
Just as the hot tapas are hitting the table, fill a large glass pitcher completely to the brim with ice, sliding a few citrus wheels down the sides.
- 02
Pour the wine and vermouth.
Add the entire bottle of chilled red wine and the sweet red vermouth to the pitcher.
- 03
Top with the effervescence.
Pour in the chilled lemon soda.
- 04
Give the drink a single stir.
Using a long bar spoon, give the mixture exactly one gentle lift from bottom to top to integrate the liquids without killing the carbonation.
- 05
Serve immediately.
Pour into ice-filled glasses, making sure each guest gets a wheel of citrus.
Notes
Use a young, unoaked wine.
You must use a young Spanish wine (vino joven) like Tempranillo or Garnacha. Subjecting an oak-aged Rioja Reserva to freezing temperatures and carbonation creates a harsh, metallic bitterness that will ruin the drink.
Replicate Spanish soda.
If you cannot find a tart, European-style lemon soda, mimic the drier profile of Spanish gaseosa by mixing 1 1/2 cup of standard lemon-lime soda with 1 1/2 cup of plain club soda.