Tinto de Verano

What Is A Tinto de Verano Drink?

Tinto de verano is a chilled Spanish red wine cocktail that translates to “red wine of summer”. It’s made up of equal parts wine and soda, typically a lemon soda, with optional additions like rum. Tinto de verano is always served chilled over ice and is garnished with orange and/or lemon slices. I like to add a splash of sweet vermouth, so lovely!

What’s The Difference Between Sangria and Tinto de Verano?

At first glance, sangria and tinto de verano may seem like the same drink. But take a closer look and you’ll see that they are different:

• Sangria – Besides containing wine (red, white, or rosé), sangria typically includes at least one other alcoholic component, such as bourbon (see my apple sangria), a liqueur such as amaretto (see my Christmas sangria), and/or a bubbly white wine. But the really noticeable thing is that the pitcher is loaded with fresh fruit, like apples, peaches, pears, berries, and citrus. Sangria is usually made earlier in the day, or even overnight, to allow the fruit’s flavors to mingle with the wine before serving.
• Tinto de verano – In contrast, tinto de verano contains only red wine for alcohol, and is lightened up with fizzy lemon soda. And fruit is not an integral part of the drink; citrus slices are simply added as garnish to individual glasses. Tinto de verano is meant to be served as soon as it’s mixed – just mix it together in the pitcher and pour it into ice-filled glasses.

Recipe Ingredients

This tinto de verano recipe has a short ingredients list. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredient amounts.

• Red wine – I recommend a red wine that’s young and fruity. (See recommendations below.) Make sure it’s well chilled before you make the drink.
• Lemon soda – In Spain, you’ll likely find tinto de verano made with lemon Fanta (Fanta Limón), but this is very hard to find in the US. So I like to use San Pellegrino Limonata.
• Red vermouth – This adds a little more depth of flavor.
• Orange and lemon – This cocktail is traditionally garnished with orange and lemon slices.

What’s The Best Wine For This Spanish cocktail

This cocktail is best with an approachable, fruity red wine like Grenache, Pinot Noir, or Merlot. Make sure it’s a wine that you enjoy because it’s the main ingredient in this drink. My advice is to pick up a bottle of wine that you know you like to drink, in one of the varieties I mentioned.

How To Make Tinto de Verano

Here’s how to quickly put together this red wine cocktail. Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.

• Combine. In a large pitcher, stir together the red wine, lemon soda, and vermouth.
• Garnish. Add the citrus slices and pour into individual ice-filled glasses.

Cocktail Variations

Feel free to make this cocktail your own – it’s a simple drink that is adaptable to your ingredients and taste. Here are some recipe variation ideas for you:

• Leave out the vermouth. This is not a typical tinto de verano ingredient – I just like to include it. See what you like best!
• Try different lemon sodas. If you can find lemon Fanta, definitely give that a go, as that’s very common in Spain. San Pellegrino Limonata is what I usually use. Another option is Crodo Limonata, which my family fell in love with during our trip to Italy. It’s not as easy to find in the U.S. as the San Pellegrino, but our local Kowalski’s carries it.
• Use club soda & lemonade. If you don’t have lemon soda, make this cocktail using a mix of lemonade and club soda. Just substitute the can of lemon soda for 1½ cups of lemonade and 1½ cups of club soda.
• Make homemade lemonade. You can use store-bought lemonade instead of lemon soda, or make a batch of homemade lemonade using ½ cup of simple syrup mixed with ½ cup of fresh lemon juice, and 1 ½ cups of water.
• Add simple syrup. You can sweeten the cocktail by adding simple syrup to taste.
• With limoncello. Try adding a splash of homemade limoncello for extra sweetness and citrus flavor, and a bit stronger cocktail.
• Other sodas: Mix the red wine with orange soda.
• Swap in rosé. For a variation, try rosé wine.
• Mix with cola. Another popular variation includes mixing red wine with cola.

What Goes With This Cocktail?

The #1 thing that goes with this cocktail is ☀️SUNSHINE. Grab some friends on a sunny day and enjoy this Spanish beauty! Here are a few of my favorite serving suggestions:

• Spanish-style. A cheese plate with Spanish cheese like manchego, briny olives, and fresh bread or crackers makes a perfect and light nibbles platter.
• Charcuterie board. Or make a more robust cheese plate offering like this charcuterie board. A butter board with bacon butter always gets raves, too.
• Ceviche. Make classic ceviche or try my recipe for shrimp ceviche.
• Chips & dip. Keep it simple and serve red wine cocktails with crunchy tortilla dips and an assortment of dips. I like to pair this with restaurant-style salsa and classic guacamole.
• Light grilled food. Keep it light and summery, and serve my super simple grilled shrimp, grilled scallops, or grilled mini sweet peppers. SO GOOD!
• Other appetizers. Serve a pitcher of tinto de verano with an appetizer assortment. Some popular crowd-pleasers include my mom’s shrimp dip, sausage cheese balls, and cowboy caviar.

More Summer Cocktail Recipes To Try

• Bootleg Cocktail – A Minnesota original!
• Bourbon Limoncello Cocktail
• Cucumber Mojito
• Rhubarb Margarita