Hello Summer friends. For three years we lived in Utrera, a pueblo near Seville, Spain. The summers were parched… Midday, with the sun overhead, the cobbled streets of our pueblo were empty. But by 11:00 in the evening everyone was out, strolling on plazas, kids on tricycles, families lingering over tapas in cafes in the cool of the night time. We’d gather with friends around a table in the park, our 4 kids racing around the playground. Jose Maria would order round after round of summer tapas. And the perfect drink for sitting outdoors with little plates of shrimp and croquetas is a tall class of “tinto de verano”- summer wine. It’s almost a sangria, cold and simple.
TINTO DE VERANO (Summer Wine)
Citrus Soda (we like Fresca)*
Red wine
lemons, limes or oranges
lots of ice in a tall glass
That’s it. Pour it all together with a squeeze of lemon or other citrus. Add slices of fruit to the glass and lots of ice. Sip on a hot day.
*In Andalusia the drink was Casera, lemon based soda. It came in big glass bottles with a flip off cork when we first lived in Spain. I’d like to relive one of those summers all over again.
The Thankful Heart 
Last year, we, my spanish class & I visited Málaga in Spain. We always drank a tinto de verano after Spanish class! It is so refreshing & ooh so tasty, I completely agree! 🙂
Sophie–wish I could invite you over a cool glass out under out maple trees.