FoCo Joe: Virgin Summer Sangria Shake
Towards the end of our dinner, my friend and I were talking about a Buzzfeed article we had read about sangria — a drink I had recently on my study abroad program in Argentina — and the many ways it can be made. As I got up to make myself a dessert, I spontaneously decided to take some inspiration from the fruity beverage, or at least see if it was possible. To the surprise of everyone I was sitting with, I managed to make a delicious dessert with real appeal — essentially a non-alcoholic sangria with the elements of a tasty root beer float.
To begin, add one scoop of vanilla ice cream to a regular drinking cup. I should disclose that a shake like this has a lot of sweet flavors, and an attention to measurements is key. A scoop of ice cream here means a full scoop of ice cream cupped perfectly in the scooper — a full scoop, yes, but it’s still a modest amount of ice cream, if you ask me.
Next, add between a one-quarter and one-half scoop of raspberry sorbet. Sangria usually has lots of fruits in it; raspberry is meant to mimic this taste, but other fruit-flavored ice creams (or actual fruits!) could work too.
The most critical step now is to add grape juice, but don’t add too much. Grape juice, serving as a wine replacement, is very sweet. A good read is to pour enough grape juice so that upon first glance the juice sits just above the vanilla ice cream. It’s better to add more grape juice after a taste test, if so desired, than to pour too much and have an overwhelmingly sweet dessert.
The final ingredient is a touch of orange soda; that final hint of bubbly citrus to marry the sweet and creamy flavors of the juice and ice creams. Mix everything together and you should hopefully arrive at a creamy and delicious “sangria” shake — the final product is sure to surprise you and your friends!
In my first attempt of this dessert I added too much grape juice, and the shake was not thick enough as a result, as seen in the photo above. Nonetheless, the strong flavors of my less-than-perfect first try at this dessert were a joy! When done right, this sangria-inspired shake is sure to be a reliable crowd pleaser, trust me.