The TikTok Sangria Trick That Starts With A French Press
When it comes to food and drink (and, honestly, most things), the internet is full of supposed hacks and DIY ideas. Some of them clearly won't work as shown, and others look promising, but the result ends up disappointing. But sometimes, one of these tricks is so clever, that you're led to wonder why we weren't all doing it already. And French press sangria, brought to us by the users of TikTok, falls into that category.
Ereka Vetrini, a home cook who shares recipes and other food and drink content on social media, posted a recipe video for an Aperol spritz sangria, a fruit-steeped variation on the much-loved cocktail — but it's how it's made that has the internet captivated. Instead of using a regular pitcher, all of the ingredients are combined in a French press (an idea which Vetrini credits to beverage writer Jacy Topps). The mixture of fruit, juice, and booze is left to steep in the fridge for a couple of hours, and when you're ready to pour, you press the ingredients and pour the liquid into serving glasses over ice for a refreshing and inventive cocktail.
@erekasfood COFFEE PRESS APEROL SPRITZ SANGRIA should be the #DrinkOfTheSummer !! I saw Jacy Topps use this genius method to make regular sangria. The press forces the fruit flavors to infuse into the drink quicker. If you don’t have a press you can absolutely make it in a large pitcher, just let it sit in the fridge longer so that the fruit flavors have time to infuse into the spritz. Ingredients: 1 peach, cored and sliced or diced 1/2 orange sliced 1/2 orange juiced 1 cup cherries sliced in half and seeds removed Aperol Presecco -Add fruit and orange juice to a coffee press. -Fill 1/2 way with prosecco and 1/2 with Aperol. -Stir, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. -Press, pour over ice and serve with an orange slice (optional)
Fruity sangria cocktails in a flash
Sangria isn't difficult to mix up, but it's not typically the most speedy drink to make, either. Many sangria recipes will urge you to let the mixture sit in the fridge overnight to give the ingredients a chance to infuse into each other and let the flavors balance and mellow out. The addition of the French press, according to Vetrini, expedites the infusion process by forcing the fruits to release their juices in one go, rather than waiting several hours to achieve peak, balanced flavor.
The press also separates the solids, keeping them out of each pour. If you're a person who doesn't really like things floating in your drink, this will be a positive for you — you won't even need a straw to avoid the soggy chunks of fruit, since they'll be trapped under the press. But if you did want to add some visual interest, you could always garnish with fresh, unpressed fruit by putting a citrus wheel on the rim, sliding a few small pieces onto a cocktail pick, or even plopping a couple of berries right into the glass.
Choosing fruits for your sangria spritzer
Vetrini's recipe is for an Aperol spritz sangria, a sort of hybrid drink that introduces the vibrant Italian liqueur and prosecco to sweet summer fruits like peaches, oranges, and cherries. The French press method could be used to make a classic red or a refreshing white sangria just as well. And while we tend to think of sangria and spritzers as summer drinks, there's no reason why they can't be used to celebrate spring and fall fruits as well. It's such a simple template that's just begging to be experimented with — try making your sangria spritzer with any in-season fruits you can get your hands on.
While using the French press to create sangria is a faster process than the classic method, it's still not instant. Ideally, the cocktail should rest in the fridge for a couple of hours before pressing, to let the ingredients fully interact. However, the press allows you to make your sangria in the afternoon and enjoy it with dinner, rather than having to prep it a day in advance. Good sangria is worth the wait, but why wait too long if you don't have to?