I was sitting around last night thinking about things I have brought back from Europe with me. Of course there are memories and souvenirs. There are pictures and ticket stubs, lessons learned and stories to tell. Above all though there are those little pieces of Europe that you can recreate at home. Drink recipes!!
It just so happens that 3 of my favorite drinks I learned to make in Europe are Spanish so that is going to be todays theme. At the top of my list is a little something I came across in Valencia Spain.
The Agua de Valencia [water of Valencia] apparently can be traced back to the 1950s when a local Valencia bar owner added his own twist to another popular Spanish drink Agua de Bilbao. By the 1970s it had become a staple of the Valencia night life and is a definite must on your next visit the third largest city in Spain. The drink is essentially cava [white or pink sparkling wine], vodka, gin, orange juice, and sugar. At home you can just use any old champagne in place of cava to save money…Andre champagne seems to be the cheapest in the States. Usually I just leave the gin out whe
n I make it at home but the recipe is simple either way. Just mix the following together and enjoy.
1 part gin and or vodka
1 part Champagne / cava
2 parts orange juice
about a teaspoon of sugar
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The next Spanish drink is one you are probably familiar with, Sangria. Deriving from the word for blood in Spanish, sangre, this red wine based drink is popular in the hot summer of Spain. The recipe for this drink varies from person to person and is just fun to tweak to suit your taste. The essentials are red wine, brandy (this is sometimes left out) and fruit served over ice. Have fun with this one when you have visitors over for a casual evening at home.
1 good bottle of red wine
2-3 shots of brandy
sliced fruits of your choice- the staples are apples, oranges and peaches but you can 
pretty much through anything in that appeals to you.
Put all the ingredients in a large bowl or pitcher and let chill 2-hours or overnight then serve over ice.
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The most unusual or perhaps surprisingly tasty drink I was introduced to is called the calimocho or Kalimotxo. It was while I studied abroad in Germany that a bunch of Spanish students had me over for a get together and handed me a two-liter of what looked like soda. Made from 50% cola-based soda (coke or Pepsi) and 50% red wine this little drink is popular among the younger Spanish crowd. From what I have read the Calimocho originated out of the need to mask the flavor of cheap wine and as a result this drink remains a cheap way to get a buzz. Now I haven’t found any recipes that suggest using flat soda and perhaps it was just because I was drinking with a bunch of poor students, but their mixture had very little carbonation and I thought it tasted 
better that way; you will have to decide for yourself. The recipe is simple;
drink half a two liter of soda (let it sit around a while if you want it flat) and then fill the rest of the bottle with red wine. Chill and drink!
There you have it. A little taste of Spain that you can recreate at home.`
