Ingredient of the Week: Sangria

Sangria is a perfect summer drink: chilled wine often made with fresh fruit is a great way to cool off when it things heat up. Chefs Tom Douglas and Thierry Rautureau give you their favorite ways to make sangria.

“For me, I like a red sangria,” says Tom. “But really, you can make it with anything.”

Thierry adds that, to stay true to the sanguine (blood) root, you’ll usually want to keep sangria in the red tints; it’s been trendy, however, to make white sangria with stone fruits, mint and white wine.

To make sangria, Tom says, you’ll need red wine, fruit juices, soda water, and, sometimes, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can infuse it with brandy.

If you’re traveling this summer, beware: Thierry and Tom say what constitutes sangria in the United States is very different than sangria in, say, Spain.

“Sangria gets a bad rap for being over-sugared wine,” Thierry says. But overseas, you’ll find it is less sweet, and has little to no carbonation.

If you decide to make sangria this summer, Tom recommends keeping it local. As your base, he says, choose a good Washington Syrah, then add two tablespoons of sugar per bottle of wine. He also says you can use ginger ale to sweeten, which will add to the flavor.

Thierry also adds that you can make the flavor more interesting by adding fresh sage and fruit.

Whole Foods Markets are a proud sponsor of Seattle Kitchen’s Ingredient of the Week.