When most people think of fruity Spanish drinks, sangria comes to mind. However, if you want to live like a local, you should be sipping tinto de verano, often called ‘tinto’.

Everyone has a different recipe, but it generally meets several criteria. First, it’s made with cheap red wine, that’s the deal. This is a great way to use a bottle of red you don’t like, but don’t want to waste. With the sweetness of the other ingredients, you can use just about any type of red. I’ve been using a tempranillo (about 2.5 euros per bottle) and jumilla (about 1.8 euros a bottle). Fun fact – jumillas are brewed right here in Murcia.

Second, it’s sweetened with soda and/or juice. I’ve tasted it with lemonade, orange juice, Sprite and 7 Up. 7 Up tastes best to me and on the down low, I’ve noticed it’s a popular mixer here. So I imagine this is how locals like to do it as well. While I enjoy the the large juice to wine ratio as well, it ends up being more of a sangria at that point. The spritzer concoction you’ll get with a carbonated lemon lime soda hits the spot during the scorching summer months of southern Spain.

Lastly, it needs an extra fresh citrus kick. I prefer to add both orange juice and lemon slices for this. Make no mistake – the lemon is not just for garnish! After they’ve been steeping in the pitcher for a little while, it achieves the same result as using lemonade. A perfect kick. If you’re lucky enough to live where I do in Spain – Murcia – you’re getting some of the best citrus EVER. The infamous oranges grown in the neighboring region of Valencia are from orchards only a couple hours away. But the region of Murcia is famous for its lemons! Murcianos have boasted that the rest of Spain basically gets their lemons shipped from our ‘backyard’. This is undoubtedly the result of Murcia’s dry, hotter than hell summer climate which circles back to – yup, you guessed it – a much needed, ice cold glass of tinto!

Tinto De Verano

Servings: 6

Prep time: 5 minutes

Total time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 12 oz cans of 7 Up
• 750 ml bottle of red wine
• Juice of 3 oranges
• 1 lemon, sliced

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in a pitcher and serve!