Savoring Sangria in Santa Fe

By Madelyn Miller, the TravelLady

Santa Fe: Spanish heritage, spectacular sunsets--the perfect place to drink Sangria. Here are a few of my favorite Santa Fe sangrias.

Luminaria Restaurant and Patio
They offer both a white and a red sangria, each filled with a mosaic of tiny cubes of fresh fruit floating in the flavorful drink. Someone in the kitchen at Luminaria must love to chop. Luminaria also makes the best chopped salads. You can drink the sangria on the beautiful patio (one of the most photographed places in Santa Fe) or enjoy it in the Living Room bar.
 
 
 

Inn on the Alameda
From 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., The Inn on the Alameda offers a wonderful happy hour for guests. This gracious spread is Santa Fe hospitality at its best. Their secret sangria recipe, (well, not so secret, they will give a copy to guests who ask) is a unique blend of blackberry liquor and fresh- squeezed orange juice. Here’s the recipe:

Sangria Suprema

In a 64 oz. pitcher: pour 1/3 to 1/2 bottle of any big, fruity wine (Syrah is good, and if there’s a Trader Joe’s handy, the Three-Buck Chuck reds will do fine. Add 3 tsps. superfine sugar, 1 1/2 cups fresh-squeezed orange juice (emphasis on fresh), and 1 1/2 shots of blackberry brandy. Fill the remainder of the pitcher with a good lemon-lime soda. For a pretty presentation, you can float fresh fruit or fruit slices on top and serve over cubed ice in a quality wine glass.

Amavi on Shelby
Amavi wins in the category of most unique Sangria. They have a rhubarb strawberry margarita that reminds me of the first time I had rhubarb pie. They also have a master sommelier who is a wizard at mixology. I took a class from him so I could make his drinks at home. But somehow sangria tastes better in Santa Fe than it does in my loft in Dallas.

Amavi also serves a sangria sorbet as a palate cleanser between courses. So perhaps they should win an award for most uses of sangria in one meal.

Mark Johnson shared the recipe:

Rhubarb Sangria

The thing to remember about Sangria is it’s like soup. It really needs to be prepared a day or two ahead. This way all those flavors really get a chance to get to know one another and become good friends.

The batch prepared for me was started with four bottles of white wine (Rene Barbier from Catalunya)

2 cups of chopped rhubarb
4 oranges cut into eights
One cup sliced strawberries
Two shots (2.5 oz) of Apricot Brandy
Splash of Ginger Ale

Of course this recipe can be easily cut down into fourths. Blend all the ingredients together except the ginger ale and let sit in the refrigerator for about 24 hours. Strain the wine off the fruit after a day. The pith of the orange will start to make the drink biter if you don’t. Serve in a large festive glass packed with ice and garnish with fresh fruits.

La Pazuela Restaurant in La Fonda
La Pazuela offers more classical Sangria with slices of lemon and orange. Somehow, I seem to hear mariachi bands playing in the background. Does that mean I had too much Sangria?

Visit www.luminariarestaurant.com
www.innonthealameda.com
www.amavirestaurant.com
www.lafondasantafe.com.

Madelyn Miller is a travel and food writer. Read her stories on www.travellady.com, www.yogayaya.com, www.carladynews.com, www.choocolateatlas.com, and www.cocktailatlas.com.

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