Sangria

One of the most famous Spanish drinks is Sangria, and you can find it in pretty much any bar you go into in Spain. The word 'sangria' comes from the word 'sangre', meaning blood due to the dark red colour of the drink.

The history of sangria is quite a simple one. As the Romans were extending their empire through the Iberian Peninsula over 2000 years ago, they planted vineyards along the way. Due to the unsafe drinking water at the time it was common practice to fortify it with alcohol to make it ok to drink and kill off any bacteria. The first Sangrias are thought to have been a heavily watered down mix of water, wine, herbs and spices.

Modern day sangria is more of a wine/fruit punch. Usually made with a mixture if different fruits, wine and spirits. However there is no standard recipe for sangria in Spain, and you can find many different varieties of the drink, including versions with white wine or cava! Other popular variations of the drink include 'tinto de verano' (red wine, ice and lemonade or sweetened tonic water) and coming from the Basque region of Spain 'calimocho' or 'kalimotxo', which is basically a mixture of red wine and cola (it tastes a lot better than it sounds!)

Sangria is really easy to make, and a great addition to a party. Here is a simple recipe that I used a couple of weekends ago for a party:

Ingredients:

•        Fruit: I used apple, orange, peach and pineapple, but pretty much any fruit will do!
•     Red Wine: We had a lot of people coming over, so brought 3 litres of red wine, you can alter the amounts of everything depending on the size of the sangria you want to make. The better quality the wine, the better quality the sangria, and the better your head will fell the day after.
•          Soda water: use to dilute the drink a little and give it a bit of fizz.
•         Sugar: many people use sugar to sweeten the drink a little, again this can be done to personal taste, I also heard that the more sugar you use, the more the alcohol affects you, and the worse the hangover is the next day! As an alternative to sugar you can use lemonade or fanta in place of the soda water.
•      Spirits: I used brandy and liquor 43, however a splash of most types of spirit will help to give your sangria a little bit of an extra kick! Common spirits used are rum, triple sec and brandy, or a combination of different ones!

Method:

•          Cut the fruit into small to medium sized pieces and place in a bowl
•          add the wine, spirits and sugar to the bowl and stir the mixture together (use as much or as little spirit as you like)
•          leave in the fridge for 24 hours for the flavours of the fruit to mix with the alcohol and wine
•          before serving, add ice and the soda water
•          enjoy!

There are now many different versions of sangria across Spain, and even the world. Have a look here  for some recipe ideas such as white wine peach sangria and watermelon sangria. I hope you enjoy your sangria experience and make a great summer drink!

Surfing in San Sebastian

Last weekend I decided to take a break from city life in Salamanca to visit the coast and do some surfing in the beautiful Basque region of Spain. I had been up to visit Paddy (the manager) at the stoke travel surf camp in June, and knew  straight away I would be back at least a couple of times whilst spending the summer in Salamanca.

The camp site is just up the hill from the small town of Zarautz (about 10km from San Sebastián) set with beautiful views over the beach and the coastline. The journey into the area is very impressive, with the green rolling hills of the Basque region you get some amazing views from both the bus and the train. 

A typical day consists of surf lessons, skating, table tennis, basketball, tight rope walking, cliff jumping, horse riding, eating good food and partying through the night! So plenty to keep you occupied aside from the main thing of learning how to surf.

If you are looking to visit some of the towns in order to experience Basque costal life, Zarautz is a great place to start! It is a popular tourist destination for both foreigners and Spaniards alike, with its population doubling in the busy summer months. The town is most famous for its 2.8km beach, the longest in the Basque region of Spain. At the end of the 19th century the popularity of Zarautz as a luxury tourist destination grew, with famous people such as Queen Isabella II visiting the town. A number of lavish buildings and mansions were built here around this time, though throughout the 70's and 80's Zaurautz became a more affordable holiday destination, with many of the grand buildings becoming public or being demolished.

Now the town is known worldwide as one of the best surfing destinations, with such a long beach there is plenty of room for surfers, and swell to suit all levels, from beginners to professionals, they even hold a leg of the world surfing championships here. You can find many great restaurants in Zarautz as well, with one of the top chefs in Spain (Karlos Arguiñano) having his own restaurant here.

Just 10km away lies the famous city of San Sebastián (or Donastia in Basque) Despite its relatively small size, San Sebastián is one of the most famous and popular tourist cities in Spain, holding events such as the San Sebastián International Film Festival, and it has been granted the European city of culture for 2016. One of the main attractions of the city is it's coastal location. San Sebastián has one of the best beaches in the region, and is also surrounded by impressive mountains and hills perfect for hiking!

The city is also famous for cultural events, holding the longest running jazz festival in Europe (Jazzaldia) in the last week of July, in which you can find many free concerts at different locations around the city. They also have a contemporary art and film festival called 'Street Zinema' as well as the 'Surfilm Festibal' showing impressive surfing footage, often in the form of shorts.

San Sebastián is perhaps most well known for its gastronomy. It has been said that it is the city with the most Michelin star restaurants per square foot in the world. Being close to the sea the seafood is naturally amazing here, and it is also renowned for having some of the best tapas, or 'pintxos' in the old part of the city.

As well as surfing, San Sebastián also has a top level football team, Real Sociedad, who formed part of the founding members of the top Spanish football division 'La Liga'. Aside from this San Sebastián also hosts the 'Clásica de San Sebastián' cycle race in early August each year, which is part of the world cup circuit.

So if you like the sound of giving surfing a try or experiencing the Basque region of Spain then get yourself up to Zarautz for some surfing and partying! Maybe I'll see you there to try and surf some waves and have a beer on the hill watching the sun set in the evening!