How to make creamy sangria

We’ve been sipping this all summer long.

Creamy-sangria-article

If there’s one drink that reminds me of summers as a kid, it has to be a spider: the weird but oh-so-good combo of soft drink (IMO it has to be creaming soda, but feel free to debate me on this), with a huge scoop of ice-cream that creates web-like melting effect when it hits the soft drink.  

While there’s no reason you can’t enjoy a spider on any day, at any age – we figured a spider with a little more ‘Je ne sais quoi’ is just what we hardworking adults need. 

Say hola to our 3-ingredient creamy sangria

Red wine and ice-cream? It shouldn’t work…but it does! Taste.com.au’s senior food editor Elisa Pietrantonio was inspired by a red wine float she had seen on Facebook which she said “had me instantly repulsed yet intrigued at the same time”.

But a genius idea was born.

“We pair wine with soft cheeses and it’s kind of similar to the ice-cream and port combination my Italian grandfather loved, so why couldn’t it work with red wine?!” explained Elisa. 

Creamy sangria: the taste test

On the first sip of Elisa’s new concoction, she was pleasantly surprised at just how delicious it was (exact words: “shooketh to the core”). The combo of red wine and vanilla ice-cream – and her fun addition of canned fruit salad which seemed to seal the deal – screamed Drink of the Summer. 

While not technically sangria, this drink is a fantastic ode to the beverage that hails from the sunny Iberian Peninsula. Elisa said: “The creaminess of the vanilla ice-cream balances the tannins of the red wine and the fruit adds a touch of sweetness.

“The combination is refreshing, creamy, sweet and a little bit tangy.” Perfecto. 

Check out our creamy sangria recipe

Elisa’s tips for the best creamy sangria

When choosing what kind of red wine to use, Elisa says it’s best to use a fruitier red wine as it pairs nicely with the ice-cream and fruit. “Good quality vanilla ice-cream will make all the difference and feel free to use fresh fruits if canned fruit is not your thing,” she adds. 

Creamy sangria around the world

While a drink of this sort may be new to you and me, variations of creamy sangria really do exist all over the world. In Chile, terremoto is a cocktail that consists of white wine, pineapple ice-cream and grenadine. 

Going further north, Mexico omits the fruit, only mixing the wine and ice-cream (similar to the USA’s red wine float) and in Germany, they have a punch consisting of sparkling wine, vodka, ice cream, fruit and juice called schlammbowle – meaning ‘mud punch’. 

But that’s another story to tell the next time Elisa fancies a cocktail night.

More cocktail recipes: 

• ‘Hot cross bun’ espresso martini
• Affogato espresso martini
• Summer sorbet cocktails

Originally published as How to make creamy sangria