Not to be confused with the Spanish wine-and-fruit-based alcoholic beverage sangria, sangrita (meaning “little blood”) is a traditional accompaniment to a tequila served completo; a non-alcoholic sipper that cleanses the palate between fiery doses of agave.
Years ago I was taught that sangrita is a blend of tomato and orange juices, with the addition of something spicy (hot sauce, typically) for a little kick. But further research has convinced me that this American sangrita recipe, while still enjoyable and certainly prevalent, is not altogether authentic.
Real sangrita from the Lake Chapala region of Jalisco is made with Seville orange and pomegranate juices, with powdered chiles added for heat. Taking into account that even the most cocktailian bartender (professional or otherwise) doesn’t typically stock sour oranges or pomegranate juice behind the bar, I’ve worked up a recipe that should approximate the flavor of this spicy little sour orange and pomegranate chaser while still providing an authentic experience.
1 oz orange juice (freshly-squeezed)
¾ oz - 1 oz lime juice (depending on the sweetness of your oranges)
½ oz real pomegranate grenadine
3 dashes hot sauce or ¼ tsp chile powder
Mix ingredients, chill, and serve.
This is far from the final word on sangrita. I’ll still continue to enjoy the tomato varieties (1,2,3), but I think you’ll find a brightness and depth of flavor from this version that plays better with a wider variety of mezcals and tequilas than its heavier gringo cousin.
What’s your experience with sangrita? Chime in with your stories and recipes in the comments section.
One question I'm often asked is "Do you have any drink-related book recommendations?" Well, funny you should ask, I've compiled a list of the ten books every professional bartender or home mixologist should own. I keep every one of these close at hand and have read most of them several times. I suggest you do the same.
It's always mojito season somewhere, so this advice is timely in your area about half the year. Wether you're making them or simply enjoying them, this advice will help you look like a pro in no time at all.
The flavors of the Richmond Gimlet are imbued with sunshine. Fresh mint mingling with the herbaceousness of gin and the tartness of lime have made this drink a Eugene classic for many years now.
You'll get a lot of snarky advice on this site about how to make a proper drink, but if you ever need to know what not to do, this is the video for you.
The world of booze can be mystifying to people that don't work in bars or around alcohol all the time. I hear a lot of assumptions about the industry I'm in that are - much like 90% of what you hear in bars - completely false. Here are a few you've probably heard yourself.
The debate rages on: Should we try to look cool and crack open the Boston shaker or be tidy professionals and use the Hawthorne strainer the way God intended? Be sure to leave your two cents in the comments section.
The traditional garnish for a Pisco Sour is a couple of drops of bitters in the foam, but I've never been particularly impressed with the way these few paltry drops of bitters sat in their little egg-white mattress and didn't play along with the rest of the drink. I envisioned a Pisco Sour with a uniformly-distributed bitters-scorched foam: slightly crisp as the fire burnt the sugars, and slightly warm as the foam insulated the rest of the frosty cocktail from the heat. A pisco creme brulée in a glass!
I get so many visitors looking for tips on how to write a bartending resume that I thought I should finally post a tutorial on how to write your own. Click the headline to read more.
I always love showing up to a party with a gallon jug of pre-mixed margaritas, so I've decided to share my recipe. This margarita recipe is the perfect blend of strong, sweet, and sour. But be warned: this recipe packs a serious punch.
There isn't much I can say about this video that hasn't been said already. If you've read anything I've written about cocktails, you'll understand why this video symbolizes everything wrong with the state of bartending in America today. Watch and learn, but be warned: this one isn't for the feint of heart.
About Me
My name is Jeff Morgenthaler and I'm the head bartender at Bel Ami in Eugene, Oregon.
I'm 36, I've been tending bar for 12 years and writing about it for 5. Mixing drinks has become something of a passion for me in recent years, and I strive to elevate the experience of having a drink from something mundane to something more culinary.
The writing I do here is intended as a work in progress. My recipes are like my opinions: they are constantly being revised and refined as I work them through my mind and my fingers. Comments and participation are encouraged, so please don't feel the need to tread lightly here.
Why is it that drinks these days have to taste like some sort of junk food in order to be understood by the average person? Take this little story:
We were at our local dive bar, playing some video golf and having a beer. The bartender, who had obviously been behind the stick for a whole six months, offered us a sample pair of the new shot he had been tirelessly working on all night,
“It’s called a Starburst, because it tastes just like a pink Starburst”
We glanced cautiously at one another and gulped down our pale pink shots. Sure enough, they tasted like pink Starburst candies. At least, I think they did. I haven’t been in a 7-Eleven in a long time, but I’m pretty certain it’s still as brightly-lit and full of miscreants, fake cheese and junk food as it was the last time I was there.
We thanked the barkeep, tipped appropriately, and continued our eighteen holes at Pebble Beach while we discussed the awkward taste in our mouths.
Why is it that cocktails these days have to relate back to junk food? Are we not smart enough to talk about flavors any more, or do drinks just not stand on their own merit any longer? Why, in order to impress a customer or be impressed as a customer, do cocktails have to “taste just like a…”?
Are there people in the world that interact with food like this? “You should try this beef roulade, it taste just like a Big Mac without the bun”
Can you imagine the uproar? Why is this not outrageous when applied to drinks? I gave a sample of Parfait Amour to someone tonight, and she spent a half hour trying to figure out what candy it reminded her of. This is a gorgeous liqueur made from Seville oranges, and she was trying to conjure up the taste of Necco wafers in her mind!
I don’t know. I’d be interested in hearing what you all think.
Liquor is an acquired taste. A lot of people don’t really like the taste of most of them, or think they don’t from memories of doing shots of really really bad Tequila in college. This is probably how they acquired the taste for that crappy beer they’re drinking, through beer pong and other college antics.
Because of this, a lot of people will jump at the idea of a drink that tastes like something yummy(and sweet) and still can get them drunk.
But then who am I to judge? My favorite shot is a Chocolate Cake Shot. Of course, there’s never a bad time for chocolate, and I generally try to appreciate most cocktails as long as they don’t have orange juice.
Ceetar, I will agree with you that liquor is an acquired taste. I just think that a lot of people these days don’t try to acquire that taste - they stop at Chocolate Cake Shots.
I mean, when I see a grown man (and I see this more often than I should) putting down three or four Lemon Drops over the span of a beautiful three-course meal, it makes me really sad.
Because here’s a guy that’s never going to learn the joy of a before-dinner drink, the beauty of a perfect wine pairing, or the sublime finish of a digestif. All he’s going to know is heartburn and stomach aches, and never understand why.
Believe me, when I see this I always try to pull out a new drink or an appropriate glass of wine, but more often than not the customer is set on his Lemon Drops.
It’s just sad to me. Heartburn and stomach aches should never be a part of the dining experience.
29 Mar 2007 at 5:16 pm 3. Smach
Maybe what one is trying to say in comparing a complex flavor, or blend of flavors, with a widely known candy or dessert is “Mmmmm, this is as enjoyable as a …” It’s better than saying “It tastes , um, purple”, right?
29 Mar 2007 at 5:38 pm 4. Dan
I had some friends over the night who are accustomed to cheap beer and ‘mixed drinks’ that consist of a few ounces of Captain Morgans, a whole can of coke, and no ice.
After we ate dinner I asked if anybody else wanted a drink while I was fixing myself up a Manhattan. A few of them asked what it tasted like, trying to compare it to something they had previously had, but all I had to offer was, “It tastes like a Manhattan and it’s god damn delicious.”
29 Mar 2007 at 6:39 pm 5. Lindsey Mitchell
I completely agree with you on the need to acquire a taste for a decent drink, believe me - there is nothing better then a REAL, TRUE dry martini at cocktail hour.
Half the time I don’t even go out to bars anymore because of the ‘tastes just like a…’ phenom going on out there…forgive me if I want my vodka, soda to taste like a vodka with soda.
What happened to the days of Tom Collins’ and Sidecars?
Damn, now I want a Manhatten.
30 Mar 2007 at 6:10 am 6. Chuck P.
My comment would be that, like with all things in life, some people just don’t get it. There are too many facets in the diamond of life for everyone to properly appreciate the details in each one. I am sure photography buffs can’t understand why most of us pay $700 for a camera, but take all our pictures using the “Auto” setting because we can’t appreciate all the different settings on the damn thing.
The best bet is to appreciate what you appreciate and leave everyone else to their own devices. I learned long ago that when I go to the bar and get shots, its woodford on ice for me, and a plastic shot glass of sugar and cheap vodka for everyone else…
CP
30 Mar 2007 at 6:56 am 7. Dominik MJ
I think this topic is very controversial!
The extrems are very clear: candy drinks against distinctive classics - but this is just the tip of the iceberg!
I confess that I am a dinosaur in bartending. So I would like, that my drinks taste like the base alcohol! I want that the expression is like the ingredients and I prefer a drink with 2 ingredients over a drink with 5 (and a drink with 7 ingredients is absolute inappropriate for me!).
These adjustments in mixology is giving me headache - this amount of liqueur, plus a dash of syrup, plus a pinch of sugar? That is crappy for me! 2 Liqueurs along with one spirit -> not my direction; 2 spirit in one drink -> Almost impossible (ok, you could use a flavored vodka along with another spirit- but then don’t add an additional syrup).
My controversial attitude: Mixology shouldn’t be related to much to cuisine - as I see mixology more referring to the profile of wines! Wines have distinctive flavors, and you as consumer has to adapt to this flavor (not vice versa) if you want to drink this respective bottle of wine.
So an old fashioned tast like rye, so does the Manhattan, a Martini Cocktail taste like gin and a Singapore Sling taste like gin and cherry brandy and so on!
30 Mar 2007 at 11:03 am 8. canary
as you say in comment above, there is an opportunity for customers “to learn the joy of a before-dinner drink, the beauty of a perfect wine pairing, or the sublime finish of a digestif.”
why not host (at el vaq) a cocktail-pairing dinner? In the same vein as the currently fashionable wine-pairing dinners.
06 Apr 2007 at 1:35 am 9. cha-chi
I’ll tell you why we don’t pair cocktails @ dinner… because most of you pussy’s couldn’t handle another.
I own a small library of books on the subject of bartending. Some of these books are geared toward the professional bartender, while others are written for the home mixologist. But regardless of the intended audience, almost every book I own heartily recommends that we use paring knives for cutting fruits and garnishes. […]
29 Mar 2007 at 6:45 am 1. Ceetar
Liquor is an acquired taste. A lot of people don’t really like the taste of most of them, or think they don’t from memories of doing shots of really really bad Tequila in college. This is probably how they acquired the taste for that crappy beer they’re drinking, through beer pong and other college antics.
Because of this, a lot of people will jump at the idea of a drink that tastes like something yummy(and sweet) and still can get them drunk.
But then who am I to judge? My favorite shot is a Chocolate Cake Shot. Of course, there’s never a bad time for chocolate, and I generally try to appreciate most cocktails as long as they don’t have orange juice.
29 Mar 2007 at 7:30 am 2. Jeffrey
Ceetar, I will agree with you that liquor is an acquired taste. I just think that a lot of people these days don’t try to acquire that taste - they stop at Chocolate Cake Shots.
I mean, when I see a grown man (and I see this more often than I should) putting down three or four Lemon Drops over the span of a beautiful three-course meal, it makes me really sad.
Because here’s a guy that’s never going to learn the joy of a before-dinner drink, the beauty of a perfect wine pairing, or the sublime finish of a digestif. All he’s going to know is heartburn and stomach aches, and never understand why.
Believe me, when I see this I always try to pull out a new drink or an appropriate glass of wine, but more often than not the customer is set on his Lemon Drops.
It’s just sad to me. Heartburn and stomach aches should never be a part of the dining experience.
29 Mar 2007 at 5:16 pm 3. Smach
Maybe what one is trying to say in comparing a complex flavor, or blend of flavors, with a widely known candy or dessert is “Mmmmm, this is as enjoyable as a …” It’s better than saying “It tastes , um, purple”, right?
29 Mar 2007 at 5:38 pm 4. Dan
I had some friends over the night who are accustomed to cheap beer and ‘mixed drinks’ that consist of a few ounces of Captain Morgans, a whole can of coke, and no ice.
After we ate dinner I asked if anybody else wanted a drink while I was fixing myself up a Manhattan. A few of them asked what it tasted like, trying to compare it to something they had previously had, but all I had to offer was, “It tastes like a Manhattan and it’s god damn delicious.”
29 Mar 2007 at 6:39 pm 5. Lindsey Mitchell
I completely agree with you on the need to acquire a taste for a decent drink, believe me - there is nothing better then a REAL, TRUE dry martini at cocktail hour.
Half the time I don’t even go out to bars anymore because of the ‘tastes just like a…’ phenom going on out there…forgive me if I want my vodka, soda to taste like a vodka with soda.
What happened to the days of Tom Collins’ and Sidecars?
Damn, now I want a Manhatten.
30 Mar 2007 at 6:10 am 6. Chuck P.
My comment would be that, like with all things in life, some people just don’t get it. There are too many facets in the diamond of life for everyone to properly appreciate the details in each one. I am sure photography buffs can’t understand why most of us pay $700 for a camera, but take all our pictures using the “Auto” setting because we can’t appreciate all the different settings on the damn thing.
The best bet is to appreciate what you appreciate and leave everyone else to their own devices. I learned long ago that when I go to the bar and get shots, its woodford on ice for me, and a plastic shot glass of sugar and cheap vodka for everyone else…
CP
30 Mar 2007 at 6:56 am 7. Dominik MJ
I think this topic is very controversial!
The extrems are very clear: candy drinks against distinctive classics - but this is just the tip of the iceberg!
I confess that I am a dinosaur in bartending. So I would like, that my drinks taste like the base alcohol! I want that the expression is like the ingredients and I prefer a drink with 2 ingredients over a drink with 5 (and a drink with 7 ingredients is absolute inappropriate for me!).
These adjustments in mixology is giving me headache - this amount of liqueur, plus a dash of syrup, plus a pinch of sugar? That is crappy for me! 2 Liqueurs along with one spirit -> not my direction; 2 spirit in one drink -> Almost impossible (ok, you could use a flavored vodka along with another spirit- but then don’t add an additional syrup).
My controversial attitude: Mixology shouldn’t be related to much to cuisine - as I see mixology more referring to the profile of wines! Wines have distinctive flavors, and you as consumer has to adapt to this flavor (not vice versa) if you want to drink this respective bottle of wine.
So an old fashioned tast like rye, so does the Manhattan, a Martini Cocktail taste like gin and a Singapore Sling taste like gin and cherry brandy and so on!
30 Mar 2007 at 11:03 am 8. canary
as you say in comment above, there is an opportunity for customers “to learn the joy of a before-dinner drink, the beauty of a perfect wine pairing, or the sublime finish of a digestif.”
why not host (at el vaq) a cocktail-pairing dinner? In the same vein as the currently fashionable wine-pairing dinners.
06 Apr 2007 at 1:35 am 9. cha-chi
I’ll tell you why we don’t pair cocktails @ dinner… because most of you pussy’s couldn’t handle another.