With the arrival of the warmest season, a wide variety of fruits and citrus win the gastronomic scene, and with them, jugs of refreshing drinks that combine alcohol and fruit. The bartenders reap fame with their author recipes: summer reds, clericó, sangria, we tell you the best summer cocktails for every ocassion.
During the celebrations of Christmas and New Year, in Uruguay and other countries like Argentina and Paraguay, a fruity alcoholic drink is used that is typical of our country: the clericó. It is prepared by mixing citrus and tropical fruit salad with an alcoholic beverage mainly red wine or white wine, some sugar and ice. We love to prepare it with Garzon Pinot Grigio. The most widespread preparation, and one of the summer cocktails, is the strawberry clericó.
The origin of the clericó, apparently, dates back to the time of the English colonies that inhabited the Rio de la Plata, as the British made a cocktail called ‘claret up’, which had similar preparation with rosé wine, fruit liqueur, sugar, Apple juice, lemon and sparkling water. It was prepared in large containers and contributed to relieve the thirst that was caused for the incessant heat in summer.
The Sangria, another option that can be prepared in bulk, owes its name to its color that refers to blood, so we should always call it the combination of fruits and red wine. The key of the sangria is that the fruit has to be macerated for a couple of hours, so that the resulting drink effectively taste to fresh fruit.
Another option that adds to the variety of summer cocktails, is ‘tinto de verano’ or ‘seven and three’. It is similar to sangria, and is prepared by mixing red wine, we suggest Garzon Tannat, with lemon soda, lots of ice and a slice of orange or pink grapefruit. It is perfect for lunch on hot days.
The apparent simplicity of elaborating a drink, becomes inconvenient when it must be multiplied by the amount of guests. In all the cases mentioned, the practicality of elaborating a single cocktail allows the host to enjoy the evening.
As for the quality of the wine, the better the wine, the better the final result and the more enjoyable. For this reason we bring you our favorite recipe for this summer:
Sangria Garzon Pinot Noir Rose
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- Ingredients:
1 bottle Garzon Pinot Noir Rose
2 oranges, 2 peaches, 2 pears, 2 bananas, ¼ strawberries cut into quarters
100 cm of sparkling water
3 tablespoons of sugar
Cedrón, basil or mint to taste
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- Preparation
In a jug put the Garzon Pinot Noir Rose, the citric juice, the sugar and began to solve to integrate the liquids. Cut the fruit into small pieces, to facilitate maceration. Add the cut oranges on fine wheels. Finally incorporate the aromatic herb that you prefer. Keep in mind that fruits such as peaches, apricots, mango and papaya are very good with cedron. Citrus with basil and ginger. Let it macerate for about an hour, and serve with plenty of ice.
