Tinto de Verano (Spanish Red Wine Cocktail)

It gets hot in Spain, so folks start to order tinto de verano, a red wine-based drink, as soon as the temperature begins to rise. It’s a refreshing, low-ABV way to beat the heat. Go into almost any restaurant in Spain and order a “tinto” — the servers will know exactly what you mean.

Tinto de verano is a Spanish wine-based drink that translates to “red wine of summer.” In Spain, it doesn’t traditionally need a recipe because there are only two ingredients: La Casera Limón, a citrus-based soda, and cold red wine, such as Tempranillo or Cabernet Sauvignon. 

The servers will ask you if you want “limón” or “blanca” when ordering. This refers to the type of soda: La Casera Limón or plain soda water. People who prefer less citrus flavor or less sugar, but still want effervescence, will order plain soda over Limón.

The drink can be served a few different ways. Oftentimes, the server will leave a large bottle of La Casera Limón soda and a chilled bottle of wine on the table so everyone can build their own.

Some people like more soda with a splash of wine and some folks prefer a ratio that’s closer to equal parts. More often than not, the server will serve the drinks pre-measured directly into the glass or serve it from a canned version.

In Spain, the drink is so popular that La Casera, the soda company, makes a pre-made canned beverage, with and without alcohol. The no-alcohol version has a delicious grape-forward flavor profile with bubbly lemon notes. While the alcohol version is made with Tempranillo, it has only 4.3% alcohol. 

When trying to recreate this same flavor profile in an American kitchen, the bright flavor profiles of American-based citrus sodas fall short in comparison to La Casera.

No need for extra sweetener, as American sodas are sweet enough. (If you are able to get your hands on La Casera Limón, omit the citrus juice and just go with the two ingredients.)

Ratios are arbitrary for this beverage, but this recipe serves as a guideline for my favorite ratio. 

• Be flexible with the wine. If you want less wine, use less wine. If you want more wine, add more. I also sometimes swap the red wine for white wine like Sauvignon Blanc. It’s equally delicious and refreshing; however, I wouldn’t call it tinto de verano. With white wine, it’s closer to another drink called “rebujito” that is prepared in a similar way; instead of cold red wine, it is traditionally served with dry white wine, such as Vino Blanco Manzanilla, Sprite, and lime juice. 
• Try grape juice for a no-alcohol version. I encourage any folks who choose not to imbibe alcohol to try it with grape juice instead of wine.