Epic wine based cocktails with their myths and legends

Not only in Romania, any wine taster, wine afficionado, wine lover or whatsoever needs sometimes to change and replace all the flavors, tastes etc, in order to reset and refresh all their senses.

Maybe Romania is still not excellent positioned at this chapter of the wine culture, nevertheless you can find some good wine bars in Bucharest, other big cities or in the vineyards. The people there could be not very happy when ordering a Julep, Sangria, Bellini etc. please help them to spare their time and money on Google search, giving them the good double checked recipe!

Sangria is an art summer punch, traditionally prepared in Spain. Its name sends to sangre (Spanish for blood), due to it main ingredient, the red wine (and we have plenty of it in Romania!). There are many preparation methods, according to the specific fruits we use, or adding other strong alcoholic drink.You can get a good Sangria even in Romania, the globalization works for you! My tip: never buy a bottled Sangria, it is far away from a real one. besides, remember to prepare it by your own, avoiding it in bars, even in Spain. Shortly, to be more efficient: take a bottle of half dried  red wine and 1 liter of soda; 3-4 spoons of lemon juice, 1 glass of brandy/whisky/Cointreau; 1 peach, 1 apple and 1 orange; 150-200 gr sugar (according one's taste), 1 powder of cinnamon. Peel and cut in pieces the fruits, and let them rest in the chosen alcoholic drink (don't dare to think to gin or vodka!). Before serving, mix the fruits with the juice, wine, soda and lemon juice. At least add the soda and mix softly. Powder with cinnamon and put on some ice.

How to get a perfect Sangria

Bellini is not very common in Romanian wine  bars, and that's why you must be prepared with the right recipe!   This cocktail has an interesting legend, starting in Harry's bar from Venice, where Hemingway and Orson Welles used to go between 1934 and 1938. Giuseppe Cipriani was the bar owner, and discovered this cocktail after many failures. The colour reminds the suit's colour of one saint from a painting by Giovani Bellini. You only need 100 ml of quality white sparkling wine and 50 ml chopped peaches! Put the peaches in a flutte glass, add the wine and stir softly. The original recipe was made with Prosecco wine!

Judge a wine cocktail similarly with a wine tasting

The B2C2 is even more sophisticated, and has the most captivating legend of all cocktails! It happened in march 1945 when the American Intelligence troops G2 found in Ruhr Gebiet a full cellar with fine french drinks, left by the Germans. Obviously, Cognac was drunk as the first, it was almost common those days. But what shall be done with all those fine liquors, as a man never drinks simple liquor. The Americans have been saved by a German war prisoner, who instructed them to mix the drinks in a certain way, resulting the B2C2 (B2=Benedictine+brandy; C2=Cointreau+Champagne). To be more specific, you need 45 ml of brandy (prefer the Cognac), 30 ml Benedictine, 30 ml Cointreau and 120 ml Champagne Brut. Mix the first three ingredients in a highball glass, with a few ice cubes, and add the Champagne at least!

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