Sangría

Meet the sangaree. If your knee-jerk reaction to the name is that it derived from the folksy yet urbane sangría, you’re not alone. Dictionaries of every stripe record the words as being synonymous, but this isn’t exactly so. The red wine, citrus and sugar beverage we call sangria dates from 1961, whereas sangaree has been around at least since 1774. Both drinks do have the same Spanish root word: sangre (meaning “blood”), but of the two, sangaree is more versatile. Essentially, Sangaree is the fruity punch’s boozier parent. Originating in the 1700s in the Antilles islands, the first Sangaree was concocted by Spanish merchants who mixed red wine or port with Batavia Arrack (a funky Javanese-style rum), citrus and a topping of freshly grated nutmeg. The drink proved to be quite popular, as is evidenced in Jerry Thomas’s 1862 Bartenders Guide, which features six different recipes for Sangaree - each with a different base spirit, topped with either wine or ale. In the 1837 cookbook Directions For Cookery In Its Various Branches by Miss Leslie the recipe for Sangaree is listed as follows: “Mix in a pitcher or in tumblers one-third of wine, ale or porter, with two-thirds of water either warm or cold. Stir in sufficient loaf-sugar to sweeten, and grate some nutmeg into it. By adding to it lemon juice, you may make what is called negus.”