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Tinto de verano is a drink that is popular in Spain and is slowly making its way into Western culture just as the similar drink Sangria has.
Tinto de verano was invented in the early 20th century as a mix of red wine and soda.
Many locals in Spain love to drink this cocktail, especially in the summer, as the cocktail is refreshing, tasty, and is pretty cheap to make in comparison to something like Sangria.
The drink’s name, which translates directly into ‘summer wine’ implies it is made during the summer, which it is, although it is often enjoyed throughout the year in Spain as it is often hot.
The soda gives the rich red wine an effervescence and carbonation that is desirable in the sun.
Sangria is often compared to tinto de verano, although they definitely are different drinks. Sangria is considered to be more upscale and isn’t as traditionally Spanish as you think, rather it is influenced by Spain.
However, tinto de verano is a very traditional Spanish drink, since the advent of carbonated drinks, and is drunk across the board in Spain, from the working class to the rich.
This red wine cocktail could be a great surprise at a garden party or summer social, while most will have tried sangria at some point, this drink can really be something new for people.
Who knows, you could be introducing one of your guests to a new drink they may learn to love. This could be enjoyed at many Latin American festivals such as Mardi Gras or any carnival.
In the list below you should be able to find a recipe for tinto de verano that could catch your eye, let’s explore them together.
This is a very similar recipe to the previous that uses lime soda instead of lemon. This is equally good for its acidity. Lime soda can often be sharper than lemon and is often less sweet which could be better for your purposes.
They also use oranges for garnish adding to the citrus vibe.
This starts to deviate from the traditional recipe. This recipe uses the old style combination of sprite and pellegrino which is reported to be the choice of locals.
This certainly adds a lot more carbonation which can be helpful to cut through the red wine.
The Vermouth is also a good idea to add flavor as well as adding a different alcohol flavor.
This recipe is an interesting one. Not only does it use Shiraz, a much fruitier wine than the suggested Tempranillo, which adds a little deeper flavor.
But they also use only soda water, which isn’t flavored. This keeps the flavors of the wine clean while still including the carbonation needed for summer.
Choosing lemon and rosemary to garnish is a unique choice that can create an herbal feel.
This recipe suggests the carbonated mixer should be San Pellegrino. San Pellegrino is like the Italian version of Fanta. Often San Pellegrino makes their flavors less sweet and more bitter or sharp.
The lemon soda from San Pellegrino is an absolute winner and the tartness is perfect for this kind of cocktail.
This recipe combines both sparkling water and dark martini.
The soda water adds the necessary carbonation and is infused by the garnishing lemon and oranges, the addition of dark martini definitely adds a bitter yet fruity element that is certainly welcome in this summery cocktail.
Fanta Lemon is a drink that is available all over both America and Spain. Both versions are as sweet as they are bitter which is a brilliant combination.
This recipe combines the Fanta Lemon with Martini Rosso Vermouth which again helps bring some bitterness to the sweetness the Fanta brings.
This recipe claims to be sangria but is very similar to TInto de Verano with some simple swaps. This recipe swaps red wine for rosé wine which is a great option for something more floral that the deep fruit flavors of red wine which are rich.
As this recipe suggests, the addition of rum is not only warranted by tradition but is also a great way to bring some deeper and more complex flavors to the drink.
Rum can bring a lot of caramel notes especially if you use dark rum or spiced rum, this can be a welcome addition to the cocktail to make it a little more ‘adult’.
Moreover, the addition of white rum can also be welcome. White rum is a little more subtle and more clean in its flavors in comparison to dark or spiced rum.
This cocktail chooses to go the fancier route by making your own lemon syrup. While the soda water brings a lot of carbonation.
The lemon syrup is both sharp and sweet and lets you have better control over the amount of sharpness or sweetness that you want to add to your cocktail.
Their serving suggestion in a bowl could be a fun addition to any party.
This recipe is great and for those who want a virgin, or no alcohol, version of the tinto de verano simply swap out the elements which contain alcohol.
You could do this by getting non-alcoholic wine. Or you could buy a brand like Schloer which makes non-alcoholic grape juice.
Similarly, Ribena and lemonade would make something similar but without the alcohol.
The Final Word
As you can see, there are many variations on the arguably simple recipe. While the recipe is simple and doesn’t call for many ingredients this goes to show how much customisation room there is in the cocktail recipe.
You can choose ingredients totally depending on your taste and preferences. Even while not traditional, you could even make this with white wine or rosé and alter the recipe accordingly, just don’t tell the Spanish.
This drink is definitely made for summer as the name tells us but we think this can be ideal for any party or gathering with adults.
This recipe is a great way to replace Sangria with something a little lighter and less strong. This means your party could stand out against others.
We even think a mulled wine variant wouldn’t be that far removed from the recipe and could be the next showstopper at a christmas party.
That said, the cocktail is great for Mardi Gras, Carnivale, Días de la Muertos, or any other Latin holiday.
Moreover, you can get as fancy as you want, depending on your bartender skill. Many bartenders will make their own syrup or soda so that they can have more of a control over the end product: the level of carbonation, the sweetness, the sharpness, and sugar levels.
Most recipes suggest you choose a bold and strong red white that can carry flavor and alcohol throughout the cocktail, especially a Spanish wine. Many suggest Tempranillo, Shiraz, or Rioja.
It is traditional to add things like rum and vermouth, you could even go a little further and add other liquor like vodka, gin, or whisky which would all work pretty well to add different subtle flavors to the cocktail.
