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Tinto de Verano: The Easiest Cocktail You’ll Ever Make

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Tinto de Verano

I love red wine. But I have to admit that splitting a bottle with Anthony on a weeknight (or any night) is becoming impossible. I don’t know if it’s my advancing age (yup, all 28 years) or just a shift in my body, but I simply cannot put away half a bottle of red anymore. Unless, of course, I want to wake up feeling like my mouth is stuffed with gauze and a tiny person has taken up residence in my skull for the sole purpose of banging on my brain like a bongo drum.

It’s true, ladies and gentleman, I’m becoming a lightweight. Which, given the fact that my metabolism decided to retire after I hit 25, is probably a good thing. But now we’re faced with an unforeseen problem: what do we do with leftover red wine?

Sure, we could get one of those vacuum-saver wine things, but I prefer a good challenge. We cook with day-old (or week-old) wine a lot, but here’s our new favorite use for it: Tinto de Verano.

This simple drink is popular among Spaniards, and perfect for warm weather drinking when 1) You want something tasty and refreshing and 2) Are too hot/sticky/tired to put a lot of effort into it.

Tinto de Verano: The Easiest Cocktail You'll Ever Make
 
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Serves: Makes 1
Ingredients
  • 2 ounces red wine
  • 1 ounce sweet (red) vermouth
  • 2 ounces grapefruit soda
  • 1 lemon wheel, for garnish
Instructions
  1. Mix the wine and vermouth in a rocks glass. Add ice, top with the soda, and stir gently. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
Notes
We use the Mexican soda "Jarritos" in the Toronja (grapefruit) flavor to make this. It's available in many grocery stores and at Latin American markets. You can also use Spite, 7UP, Squirt, or even ginger ale.

 

 

 

 

About Sharon Damelio

I love to cook and to write–both of which I learned at my parents’ elbows. After graduating from college, I worked at Fine Cooking magazine as the Assistant Web Editor. After two glorious years there, I returned to graduate school and now work at WhyHunger, an NYC-based nonprofit that is building a movement to end hunger and increase access to fresh, nutritious food. In the kitchen, I fancy myself the culinary version of an armchair-traveler, but I’m also a devoted baker. Some days, when work is overwhelming and the world seems bleak, methodically creating a batch of bread, cookies, or scones is all the relaxation I need.

4 Comments

  1. Pam Anderson says

    This is probably the most ingenious cocktail I’ve seen. You know how I love giving food (and beverage) new purpose, and Tinto de Verano does just that. And it’s delicious too. As you point out, this refreshing drink is very sangria-ish, without all the work. Thanks for this, dear!

    Reply

  2. kate C. says

    I drank this all the time in Spain… well, until I ‘graduated’ to just plain red wine and grew to like that. But that was 10-ish years ago and I hear you on not being able to finish a bottle between two people now! I should revisit this drink, though I didn’t think they put vermouth in it there, just 1/2 red wine and 1/2 of I think Fanta soda (lemon-limey), I’m sure lots of people make it different ways.

    Gracias para las memorias!

    Reply

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