Sangria. Some people call it the most cooling summer drink in the world. You can follow sangria’s lure and sparkle from the heat-steeped patios of southern Spain where Andalusians have been drinking it for centuries. One traveler I know recalls taking her first sip outside a dusty Spanish train station where the dark-haired waiter brought a glass pitcher of the ruddy beverage (the root, “sangre,” means blood), two tumblers and a long-handled wooden spoon stained, she says, “the color of eggplant” from crushing and stirring the fresh, wine-soaked fruits at the bottom of sangria’s thirst-quenching flavors.

Make that “flavors” plural. There’s more than one way to slice up a pitcherful of this refreshment meant for hot summer afternoons (remember those?) that linger into appetizers or tapas (the “little dishes” of Spain) or a festive picnic supper – and you don’t need to cross the ocean to sample it.

You could begin at Cleonice, an award-winning Mediterranean bistro in Ellsworth, where restaurateur

Cary Hanson is happy to whisk you past a spiky bouquet of breadsticks to sit under cork-framed photographs of Spain and Portugal and pour you a glass. Their recipe (which follows) comes from a best friend who knows the region and its zesty list of ingredients and preparations that Cary and her husband, Rich, Cleonice’s chef, feature. “Lemon, parsley, garlic, cumin, olive oil,” Rich intones, describing a tuna special. “Smoky, seared, sea salt – served cold!”

“Served cold,” of course, also applies to sangria, offered by the glass ($5), half-carafe ($9), or carafe ($17, four generous servings). But it’s what’s over the ice that counts. “It’s all about ingredients,” Rich says. “Technique follows.”

Though some kitchen-sink sangria recipes simply call for “red wine,” Cary says Cleonice always starts with a Spanish red such as Protocolo tinto or another tempranillo or a Grenache. They also use Triple Sec and Spanish brandy to fortify their fresh-cut citrus; this translates on the tongue to a sangria bright, clean and authentic.

Fortunately, you don’t need to uncork the priciest or most complex bottle of wine to find a decent Spanish red. Shane McCarthy at the State Street Wine Cellar in Bangor says good ones – including Protocolo tinto – are available for under $10 a bottle and the accent in sangria lands on what you like to sip.

This could lead to trying a more tropical version, such as the recipe Michael Boland brought back from Brazil to his one of his restaurants in Bar Harbor. Though there’s no passion fruit falling under the bright umbrellas at Rupunini’s corner on Main Street, you will find the lushness of melons, berries, sometimes pineapple or nectarines, and even star fruit in a pitcher ($13, four glasses) of theirs. And the wine base? “Believe it or not,” Boland says, “We use raspberry merlot or a Rioja Crianza. It works.”

That may be because their below-the-equator kick-start for the fruit is cachaca, a sugar-cane liqueur with an elegant, earthy bite. Candice Meirdrik, a Rupunini’s bartender who’s visited Brazil, says you can substitute rum for the cachaca and notes sangria is often served there in restaurants specializing in crepes – meat, vegetable and dessert.

Both Cleonice and Rupununi’s make white-wine versions, too (think peaches, dry Spanish white, or chardonnay.) Meirdrik tasted one sangria spiced with cinnamon – a warm, unusual note in this cool relief you can leave steeping in the fridge while you chill out elsewhere.

Once you’ve got the fruit sliced and soaking in the wine, you – and it – can take your time. Or, as that traveler outside the dusty train station points out, “You can’t rush sangria.”

But why would you want to?

C

leonice Mediterranean Bistro is located at 112 Main St. in Ellsworth (664-7554). Rupununi’s is at 119 Main St. in Bar Harbor (288-2886).

Cleonice (Mediterranean) Sangria

Makes four servings

1 bottle Protocolo tinto or other Spanish red wine (tempranillo, Grenache)

1 orange cut into bite-size pieces

1 apple cut into bite-size pieces

1/4 lime cut into bite-size pieces

1 cup orange juice

1/2 cup Triple Sec

1/2 cup Spanish brandy

1 cup club soda

Mix all ingredients except club soda in a glass or ceramic (nonmetallic) pitcher or bowl and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, stir, add club soda and serve over ice.

Garnish with lime.

Rupununi (tropical) Sangria

Makes four servings

Mix of fresh fruit including melons, blueberries, pineapple and star fruit

11/2 ounces of cachaca (sugar-cane liquor) or rum

9 ounces raspberry merlot

11/2 ounces Sprite

Use a five-ounce cup or rocks glass or cup to scoop a mixture of fresh cut-up fruit. Add the fruit to a glass or ceramic (nonmetallic) pitcher and fill this with crushed ice. Pour cachaca or rum over the ice and fruit. Add raspberry merlot and stir. Top with Sprite, stir and serve.

Sidewalk Spanish Sangria

Makes four servings

1 lemon cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 orange cut into 1/4 -inch slices

1 lime, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 apple cut in half lengthwise, cored, then cut into wedges

2 tablespoons fine sugar or to taste

1 bottle dry red wine, chilled

1/4 cup brandy

Club soda, chilled

Fresh or good-quality (not from concentrate) orange juice, ice (optional)

Combine all sliced fruit and sugar in a large glass or ceramic (nonmetallic) pitcher. Bruise fruit lightly with a long-handled wooden spoon and stir to help sugar dissolve. Pour in wine and brandy and stir again until well mixed. Taste for sweetness and add more sugar or citrus if desired. Chill thoroughly.

Before serving, pour in chilled club soda to taste, add a splash of the orange juice if desired, and stir again. Serve in chilled wineglasses and or over ice with a fresh citrus slice for garnish.

Fruit Punch Sangria (nonalcoholic)

Makes six servings

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup orange juice

4 cups grape juice

1/2 lemon sliced

1/2 orange sliced

1 apple or peach cut in thin wedges

4 cups club soda

Combine sugar and juices in pitcher, then add sliced fruit. Stir until sugar dissolves. Chill. Add club soda before serving and stir. Serve over ice in glasses with a little fruit spooned in for garnish if desired.

With your sangria, try one of these between sips.

Marinated Olives

Serves six to eight

1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary

2 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

2/3 cup black olives with pits (preferably not canned)

2/3 cup green olives with pits (preferably not canned)

Crush coriander and fennel seeds in mortar with pestle. Work in garlic, then add rosemary, parsley, vinegar and olive oil. Put olives in small glass or earthenware bowl and pour marinade over them. Cover and chill. These will keep refrigerated for one week.

Spiced Almonds

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons sea salt

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1-3/4cup blanched almonds

Combine cayenne pepper and salt in a bowl. Melt butter with oil in skillet. Add almonds and fry, stirring five minutes or until golden. Tip almonds into salt mixture and toss to coat them. Leave to cool, then store in an airtight container for up to one week.

You can also prepare the almonds by roasting (versus frying) to cut down on the fat. Combine cayenne pepper and sea salt with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet. When this mixture is very hot, add the almonds and stir until coated. Line a baking sheet with brown paper or parchment and roast at 300 degrees F for about 10 minutes or until crisp. Let cool and store as directed above.

Chilled Summer Fruit Soup with Berry-Wine Swirl

For the soup:

1 medium cantaloupe, coarsely chopped

1 peach peeled and chopped

1 mango coarsely chopped

2-3 tablespoons honey

Juice of one large orange

Juice of one lime

Pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in blender. Cover and chill at least two hours.

For the swirl:

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1/2 cup blueberries

1 teaspoon tamarind paste

1/4 cup dry red wine

21/2tablespoons maple syrup

Splash of red wine vinegar

Puree in blender and chill.

To serve:

Ladle cold soup into bowls and drizzle with berry-wine swirl. Garnish with mint leaves.