Tinto de Verano (Spanish Summer Wine Cooler)

People always assume that if you want a red wine drink in Spain, you order sangria, but ask anyone actually living there on a hot afternoon and they will tell you it is almost always tinto de verano instead, which translates simply to summer red wine. It is what my husband and I drink when we are grilling in the backyard, something I make far more often than my traditional or white sangria (recipe on the site), because it takes exactly one minute and does not require chopping any fruit.

The whole drink is just two things, inexpensive young red wine and lemon soda, poured over ice. That is genuinely it. Sangria is the party drink, the one you make a day ahead and fuss over with fruit and brandy. Tinto de verano is the Tuesday drink, the one you throw together while the chouriço is on the grill and nobody is going to judge you for using the cheap wine, in fact you are supposed to.

August in our house means the grill is going most weekends, febras or espetada (recipe on the site) sizzling away, and this is what is in everyone’s glass, ice clinking, while Max lies in the one patch of shade he has claimed as his own. If you cannot find Fanta Limón, which is the classic choice, a lemon-lime soda with a splash of fresh lemon juice gets you close enough that nobody at the table will notice the difference.

Tinto de Verano Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes · Cook time: 0 minutes · Total: 5 minutes · Servings: 1 (easily multiplied) · Calories: ~150 per serving

Ingredients

• Ice
• 1/2 cup inexpensive young red wine (a fruity Spanish red like a joven Rioja or Garnacha is traditional)
• 1/2 cup lemon soda (Fanta Limón is classic; or lemon-lime soda plus a splash of fresh lemon juice)
• Orange or lemon slice, for garnish
• Fresh mint sprig, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
2. Pour in the red wine, then top with the lemon soda. Do not stir vigorously, a gentle stir is enough to combine.
3. Garnish with an orange or lemon slice and a sprig of mint if you like, and serve right away while it is cold and fizzy.

Recipe Notes

• Use an inexpensive, fruity young red wine here. This is not the place for anything you have been saving, the soda and ice will mellow it out either way.
• Do not mix this up with sangria, tinto de verano is simpler, just wine and soda, no fruit or brandy, and it is meant to be made on the spot, not ahead of time.
• If Fanta Limón is not sold near you, a lemon-lime soda like Sprite with a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice is a close stand-in.
• Scale this up easily for a crowd by mixing wine and lemon soda in equal parts in a big pitcher over ice, and let people top off their own glasses.