Clerico

I love traveling, and GarnishGuy and I have been fortunate enough to do a lot of it. Eating and drinking are half the fun of most trips, and I especially love trying local specialties. Sometimes the circumstances make something twice as good as it could ever be anywhere or any time else: stumbling upon an amazing restaurant, eating with a beautiful view, or rewarding yourself after a challenging day of hiking can make otherwise ordinary food and drink into something extraordinary. In those cases, when you try to re-create something at home, it just doesn't work. But that doesn't stop us from trying every now and then.

We spent the summer of 2007 in South America, and one weekend we took a ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay. It's a beautiful historical town that has become a seaside resort for the residents of Buenos Aires and Montevideo. Because we went in the dead of the southern winter, it was quiet during the day and essentially abandoned at night. But we managed to find a restaurant that was open, and they served a drink called Clerico. It's basically a white Sangria, and it seems to be an Uruguayan specialty. Thinking of drinks that would be good for sipping on our porch in the summertime, I suddenly remembered it and knew I had to try and make it.

A quick Google search brings up plenty of Clerico recipes. I chose this one from an Uruguayan travel site, which I thought ought to be fairly authentic. Like Sangria, Clerico is filled with fruit. The recipe specifically calls for strawberries, orange, peach, and banana, but mentions that you can use whatever is in season. I stuck to those four for today, but I imagine it would be lovely with blueberries and raspberries. The fruit is sliced, mixed with sugar, and combined with rum and wine. The recipe recommends a sweeter white like Viognier, Chardonnay, or Torrontes, but just about anything will do; I used a Bordeaux from Trader Joe's. Just be sure to adjust the amount of sugar according to the sweetness of your wine.

FYI: this punch is dangerously sweet and drinkable. It is best slowly sipped, but begs to be guzzled. You have been warned.

Clerico

1 orange, sliced and quartered
1 banana, sliced
1 peach, cubed
7 oz. strawberries, sliced
2-4 tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup white rum
1 bottle (750 ml) white wine

Prepare all fruit and put in a large bowl. Add sugar and mix. (Undershoot the amount of sugar - you can add more later.) Move fruit into a large pitcher. Add rum and wine and stir. Chill in fridge before serving. Salud!

Recipe adapted from Travel-Uruguay.