Tinto de Verano, or also seen in Spanish menus as Tinto Verano, is one of Spain’s most beloved local, everyday drinks for as soon as the weather warms.
“Tinto” translates to “red wine” and “verano” means “summer.” So tinto de verano literally translates to “red wine of summer.”
Around the 1920s near Córdoba, Spain, restaurant owner Federico Vargas of Venta Vargas combined red wine and soda pop. It was then dubbed “un Vargas.”
As its popularity spread around the country, it became more known as tinto de verano because it was and still is the perfect summer drink when going out. Today, the standard tinto verano consists of red wine and what’s locally known as gaseosa which is a carbonated lemon soda that’s not as sweet as 7-Up or Sprite.
Tinto de verano is a common drink in local tapas bars and dive bars all over Spain, especially during summer months when the best thing to have is an ice cold cocktail that’s not too strong.
Because the drink mixes red wine and soda, it is one of the more affordable items at a bar. So affordability along side the refreshing factor as well as its low alcohol content makes tinto de verano a popular choice for day drinking and tapas crawls.
In many tapas bars, you can order tinto verano and you’ll get a pre-made conconction from a pitcher or on tap, a bottle, or the mix of the bartender in which case you may be asked if you want it “con limon o con blanca.”
Con limón means red wine with lemon soda like the local Casera limón or Fanta limón. The drink will be sweeter in taste and hazier in color.
Con blanca means using the local gaseosa which is less sweet in taste and clearer in color.
Outside of Spain, most people do not know of tinto de verano. The more known Spanish drink is sangria. However, in Spain, sangria is considered a touristy drink.
Spaniards do drink sangria, but mostly at home or in house parties where you can leisurely drink in the higher-alcohol content cocktail.
At tapas bars and restaurants, there is more time and effort put into making sangria so the price per glass or pitcher reflects that. And because of its higher price, locals prefer not to spend for it whereas tourists eagerly order it.
Plus, when going out and enjoying the day or night, locals opt for lighter drinks that they can have multiple glasses over a long period of time. You can easily do that with tinto verano but with sangria you may literally be crawling home from the tapas crawl.
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