Sangria: Lifeblood of summer

Wine, fruit, spice and mystery (and six great places to get it)

By Dina Guidubaldi
SPECIAL TO THE AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Thursday, July 09, 2009

Though the men and women who spawned the historical legend of the vampire in Western culture were despicable serial killers, fictional vampires are all the rage these days, thanks to their unflappable composure and mysterious habits.

The 'Twilight' series by Stephenie Meyer depicts teenage (well, no-age, actually) vampires behaving like Disney kids, and shows like 'True Blood' portray them as misunderstood outcasts with a regrettably limited choice of beverage options. Pretty much everyone these days would love to actually meet a vampire, tour their castles and fly alongside them, or at the very least eat a nice rare steak with them by candelabra light.

If, like most of the country, you're caught up in the vampire hype and want to snag an undead friend for yourself, there's one surefire, little-known way to advertise that you're just as bloodthirsty as they are: Put on your best black clothes and dark glasses, position yourself in any one of the many bars around town after the sun goes down, and sip a sangria, that cold summer drink of wine, fruit and mystery that takes its name from and looks like blood.

El Chile

918 Congress Ave. 291-3120, www.elchile cafe.com. Open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 5 to 10 p.m. Saturdays.

El Chile's colorful new space - the former second home of sister venture El Chilito - right by the Capitol promises to get more of the sit-down-and-enjoy-your-lunch crowd, though details (such as their liquor license) have yet to be worked out. No matter, El Chile downtown is giving away free drinks with food purchases until the license comes through, and the fact that they have both a traditional sangria and a sangria margarita (both around $5-$6 once they start charging) is added incentive to support their sort-of-new venture.

El Chile on Congress offers the same fare as the much-loved Manor Road and Greystone Boulevard locations, right down to the Rajas con Queso and spicy red chicken tortilla soup. Gilberto's Sangria Especial is short on the fruit and ice, long on the wine, and although it didn't taste particularly innovative, it's perfect for someone who wants a no-frills, old-school sangria. The sangria margarita, on the other hand, is both pretty clever and pretty-looking - a floater of sangria on a frozen margarita, resulting in a streaked goblet of chilly goodness. During happy hours , appetizers are half-off, making for yet another ideal post-work venue.

El Sol y La Luna

600 E. Sixth St. 444-7770, www.elsolyla lunaaustin.com. Open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.

El Sol y La Luna's new spot is darker and grittier than their old one by the Austin Motel, and it must have been quite a transition for customers and employees alike. No longer nestled in the safe haven of shoppers and travelers on South Congress Avenue, El Sol is now right next to Emo's in the heart of downtown madness. That said, the place doesn't feel quite as manic as Sixth Street. You can watch the action go by from behind the thick glass windows without having to be a part of it, but as my friend said, 'I don't know whether I should be eating breakfast or having cocktails.'

Of the places I went for this story, El Sol had one of the more authentic sangrias - a pint glass rimmed with fruit, topped with mint and full of merlot, brandy and juice for $6. One weeknight when I went, the restaurant was almost empty and there was a shrimp enchilada sign all alone on the dim stage where the bands usually play, but when I went on a Saturday, the place was packed and a band was unraveling its amp cords. El Sol's menu also offers tequila flights and a healthy a la carte section for wandering bar patrons wanting a quick bite from something that isn't a hot-dog stand.

Red House Pizzeria

1917 Manor Road. 391-9500, www.redhouselounge.com. Open 5 p.m. to midnight daily.

Red House, which is now a pizzeria and will please, please just stay that way , offers two sangrias, a red and a white. Though the red is strong, full of fruit pulp and the fascinating purple-pink color of Sterno fuel when the light hits it just right, after a couple weeks of drinking red sangrias I was more impressed by the white. The servers were a little vague and protective about the ingredients, but I eventually gathered that it was probably some mix of pear juice, gin, triple sec and white wine. The white was topped off by a slice of grapefruit (the red has limes and oranges) and tasted like summer in a glass. Both were around $4 during happy hour (5 to 7 p.m. daily), $5 otherwise.

Red House doesn't open until 5, so you can get off work, sit on the porch and hide from the hot sun for hours, drinking what you think are perfectly innocent, refreshing drinks, swatting flies and listening to their poppy mix of MGMT, Franz Ferdinand and that 'I don't know why sometimes I get frightened' song. Make sure to order water or a pizza or a taxi, though, since those pale, sweet-looking drinks are a heck of a lot stronger than they look.

South Congress Cafe

1600 S. Congress Ave. 447-3905, www.southcongresscafe.com. Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

We went to South Congress Cafe during that weird time between lunch and dinner, when there were more employees than patrons. Thus our service was fast and friendly, and the bartender patiently fielded cocktail questions from my obnoxious friend, who wound up with a dirty martini/mango concoction that was spicy and delicious. To make matters better, it was happy hour, which at the SoCo Cafe lasts from 2 to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

My sangria was basically cold wine with impermeable fruits - green grapes and green apples - along with a splash of brandy for $6.25. It was more tart than sweet. As I sat there listening to Kenny Loggins' 'Danger Zone' playing over the speakers, I got a flashback of being at Shaggy's in that same spot many years ago, and marveled at how utterly opposite the two spaces are: old-Austin reggae vibe versus this new clean phase we're entering into.

And though I missed Shaggy's just then, South Congress Cafe's sangria kept my mouth shut.

Spider House

2908 Fruth St. 480-9562, www.spider housecafe.com. Open 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.

If you had an eccentric old maid aunt, one who sneaks money into your pockets when you aren't looking, carries around lavender pastilles to cover up her gin breath, feeds squirrels on her porch and dyes her hair red well into her 70s, she might open a place like Spider House. With its rickety tables and rusted chairs, its web of light strands and makeshift fountains, Spider House is inviting yet overwhelming. It's as if Uncommon Objects turned itself into a bar; it's hard to know what to look at or what not to touch. Something might break, you might spill your drink while traversing the gravel, and the servers might give you a huge smile and then forget all about you.

However, if you order sangria, you can relax a little. For $16, you get a large carafe full of fruit (blueberries, strawberries, peaches), red wine, champagne and a long, twisted metal spoon for stirring the uneven concoction. The problem (here's the old eccentric aunt glitch again) is that sometimes the carafe is full of ice and sometimes it isn't. So you either get a chilly drink that vanishes pretty quickly or you get a stronger drink that gets warm before you know it.

Zocalo

1110 West Lynn St. 472-8226, www.zocalocafe.com. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Zocalo subtitles itself a 'taqueria fresca,' and it is. Fresh, clean, sterile - nothing like those dingy little haunts where the food is amazing but you might see a fly or two. Zocalo looks like heaven for clones, with its pod-like chairs and green-and-white modern decor. The brightness of Zocalo is impressive, and the service is streamlined and efficient (our sangrias and food came out in under five minutes). Happy hour is from 3 to 6 p.m., oddly early, but maybe 3 p.m. is about when the stay-at-home moms and dads in Clarksville are ready to get out of the house. Strollered kids abounded but were quiet, as was the street - for an outside cafe it was eerily silent, and everyone seemed well-behaved.

Zocalo has good queso, with a nutty, mild flavor, served with thick chips. Their sangria ($3 during happy hour, $5 otherwise) is homemade and served slush-style (the West Side version of my favorite El Chilito staple), not very strong but bright pink and sweet. Everyone seemed to have one, making me wonder if there was some secret ingredient in it to keep patrons calm, content and addicted.

More sangria options

In addition to the six sangria spots in this story, we gathered a list of more wine-and-fruit outlets with the help of American-Statesman Mac systems administrator and 'non-hoity-toity' sangria fan Phil Brown. If you've got a favorite place for sangria we've overlooked, please e-mail restaurant critic Mike Sutter at msutter@statesman.com. (One of my favorites is a warmly spiced frozen sangria for $3.99 at El Chilito at 2219 Manor Road.)

• Alamo Drafthouse South (1120 S. Lamar Blvd. 476.1320, www.originalalamo.com).: A decent sangria for $5 per glass, $17 per pitcher. Check for availability at the other Alamo locations.

• Elsi's (6601 Burnet Road, Suite 300. 454-0747, www.elsisrestaurant.com.): You might have to ask for it specially, but the `sangria tropical' white sangria is served fruity, fizzy and refreshing in a tall glass.

• Guero's Taco Bar (1412 S. Congress Ave. 447-7688, www.guerostacobar.com.): The online menu lists sangria with fresh juices and red wine for $3.50.

• Matt's El Rancho (2613 S. Lamar Blvd. 462-9333, www.mattselrancho.com.): The online menu offers `Matt's Magic Sangria' for $4.75.

• Romano's Macaroni Grill (four Austin-area locations; see www.macaronigrill.com.): Serves its red sangria in a tall glass with ice and fruit, not too sweet, very nicely done. I've enjoyed it several times at different locations.

• Serranos (5030 U.S. 290 W. 891-7592. Other locations at www.serranos.com. ): A good sangria for $4.50, but you have to ask for it. It's not too sweet and is served iced.

• Other possibilities include some of the Austin-area locations of Baby Acapulco, Chuy's, T.G.I.Friday's and Trudy's.

House Wine: A sangria recipe

Kerry White and Jay Sims own the charming three-room cottage known as House Wine (408 Josephine St. 322-5210, housewineaustin.com . Open 3 p.m. to midnight daily.).

Outside, there's a covered porch and a courtyard with tables, serenaded by the classic-rock soundtrack from P. Terry's Burger Stand across the street. Inside, the air-conditioning welcomes you like a friend to the comfort of upholstered seating groups. The music here might be Journey from the stereo or live music from smart, soulful singer-songwriters (including Sims himself).

Among the summer's well-chosen and reasonable wines (including four daily choices for $5 a glass or $18 a bottle) are red and white sangrias developed by White for $6 a glass or served with a wink as a snow cone in a sundae glass for the same price. Here's White's easy-to-make blend of pinot grigio, peaches, fruit and herbs.

House Wine's Peach and Basil Sangria

6 12-oz. cans Goya Peach Nectar

6 white peaches, sliced

2 cups fresh lemon juice

5 lemons, thinly sliced

1 bunch fresh basil

2 large oranges, thinly sliced

1 handful green grapes, sliced

4 bottles pinot grigio wine, 750 ml each

In a large beverage urn, add fruit, juices and herbs. Top with wine. Stir. Ladle sangria, including pieces of fruit, into wine glasses over ice. Makes about 11/2 gallons.

- Kerry White