A Taste of Spain at Home

We learned a lot about Spanish culture on our recent honeymoon cruise along the Spanish coast. For one thing, we learned that only tourists order sangria. We found this out after trying a few different variations of the iconic drink, the best of which contained sliced local mini-bananas and was out of this world.

Flaunting my touristness with the best sangria ever, in the Canary Islands

But the point is, we stopped ordering sangria. We learned that locals order the simpler (and cheaper) drink, tinto del verano. Literally translated to "red wine of summer," it is a delicious mix of Spanish red wine and carbonated lemonade. For me, it transformed red wine from a complement to a dinner-time meal to a refreshing afternoon beverage. We did a lot of walking and liked to stop for a refreshment and a tapa or two, and we started ordering a tinto del verano at every stop. I think we might have earned a little respect from the locals for not ordering a sangria like they expected us to do. We also saved a few euros by avoiding a menu item reserved for tourists.

Standard tapas-style lunch, complete with tinto del verano

I was a little sad to leave Spain and my daily tinto del verano fix. Luckily, while at the store the other day I happened to notice a 2-liter of calorie-free carbonated lemonade! I didn't know they even made that, and I immediately thought of attempting my own version of tinto del verano.

Sparkling lemonade to the rescue!

I found some super-cheap Spanish tempranillo wine and came home to experiment. 

Add ice to a wine glass and fill about halfway with the wine. Add sparkling lemonade to fill glass. Add a squirt of lemon juice if you like it extra lemony. 

Give it a try, we really love it!