People watching our tequila review videos will see us drinking “that red stuff” with our tequila – it’s called “sangrita,” and we’ve actually written about it before. It’s a “tequila companion,” meant to be sipped slowly with your tequila.
We love sangrita, especially when it’s well made, but finding a really tasty sangrita is difficult. It should be spicy, but not TOO spicy. It should have a bit of sweetness to it, but not TOO sweet. It should have a nice texture to it, but not too watery or overly thick.
This is because there is no single agreed-upon recipe. As you travel through Mexico, you soon notice that there are wildly differing approaches, textures, and levels of spiciness.
It’s common for us to try sangrita that doesn’t measure up to our expectations, but we always order it anyway. It’s like a little game for us, knowing that at some point we’re going to find something that’s truly great.
While we were in Mexico in November, we tried the sangrita made by Miguel at the SFT Tequila Bar in Sayulita and fell in love with it. If you find yourself at the SFT, you should definitely order it.
We tried to get Miguel to cough-up his recipe, and he wouldn’t give us details on the mixture, but he did let us in on a few of his secrets. (He uses soy sauce which adds a wonderfully savory “Umami” taste.) We took this information back to the USA with us, and immediately began the process of reconstructing it.
This has become the sangrita recipe of choice for the TasteTequila.com Kitchen, and just like the SFT Tequila Bar, we’ve always got a pitcher in the refrigerator waiting to accompany a shot of tequila.
Here’s our rendition of Miguel’s sangrita:
Sangrita de Miguel
2 cups of tomato juice
1/4 cup of orange juice
1 tbsp grenadine
5 tsp soy sauce
3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
Ground pepper
Salt
[…] A new, and even better (in our opinion) sangrita recipe has been discovered. We even made a video of us following the […]
[…] Every bartender takes pride in their own “secret” sangrita recipe, but as long as you start out with orange juice, tomato juice, and lots of heat (tabasco, chopped jalapenos, horseradish, black pepper), you’ve got a good thing going. Here’s a recipe I found on tastetequila.com. […]
This is a wonderful sangrita recipe.Pairs perfectly with almost any tequila I’ve had. Passed it on to a few others after a party I served it at.
Thanks Scarlet & Groover
can’t wait to try this out. I recently found a bottle of Sotol called “Hacienda de Chihuahua” (extremely smooth) that I can’t wait to try with Miguel’s Sangrita recipe
Made 2 batches of this tonight…wonderful. It hits all the tastebuds. Sweet, spicy, savory, fruity, complex. Killer recipe, thanks so much
Thank you for introducing me to Sangrita!
I’m not usually a fan of anything with tomato juice but you’ve changed my mind with this recipe. It’s delicious.
Sherri – So glad you liked the recipe! I’m not a tomato juice fanatic either (Grover is) but I can sip sangrita all day long.
Yum…good stuff! Enjoying some now with my El Tequileno repo. The first sangrita recipe I tried used too much orange juice. I like the stronger tomato flavor with this one, and the saltiness from the soy sauce adds a nice flavor without just pure salt.
One simplification, though:
1tbsp = 3tsp
So, it’s just 1tbsp Worcestershire sauce, and 1tbsp + 2tsp soy sauce.
Loving this sangrita and your website, G&S!
Just made a batch, found it a lacking on the acidity. Added juice from 1/2 lemon and upped the kick with some habanero hot sauce. My introduction to sangrita was the following shooter: 1 shot sangrita, 1 shot lime juice, 1 shot tequila back to back quickly. So tasty. Though I might be mistaken on the order of shots. I’ll have to ask my friend.
Reza,
You are not ‘mistaken’ on the order of drinking your shots.
The way to enjoy drinking good tequila with sangrita, is how YOU like it. Just as you adjusted the sangrita recipe to your liking, experiment and do the same with how you drink it.
There is no right or wrong way.
Enjoy.
To perfect this recipe. Use Maggi sauce instead of Soy sauce. Use the Maggi sauce made in Mexico. Not the Maggi sauce from China. Oh, and little bit of Lime juice, too.
I’ve emailed http://www.Sangrita.de to see if they will export it, from Germany. The absolute best there is.
But I will try some of the recipes found here, as I would love to reproduce the German version and have to start somewhere…LOL
Thanks
Any chance you can give general guidance on the amount of salt and pepper to use to start with? I know it is seasoned to taste but what might be a good starting point? A pinch? A teaspoon of each? I am new to sangrita and any help is welcome as I experiment with sangrita to complement some of the tequilas in my collection.
Hi Bruce, I would start with a 1/2 tsp of fresh ground pepper and salt to taste after it’s mixed. The soy sauce adds a lot of sodium so you may not need to add any. We load it with black pepper, but again, it depends on your taste. Hope that helps!
Great recipe!!!
Goes great with Don Juan Reposado ;)
One thing about website:
You guys have that as an iPhone app, but video in FLASH not viewable on iPhone :(
Thanks Scarlet for the advice on the addition of salt and pepper. After experimenting a bit I tend to agree that the soy sauce provides plenty of sodium so now I don’t use any additional salt.
Haven’t yet dallied with the Clamato version though. If I am making up sangrita for the evening I tend to be drinking my reposado’s or less commonly a blanco neat. I don’t think I would consider sangrita when drinking some of my favorite añejos.
Can’t wait to try this one, thank you
yes, some very good tips. You’re missing the lime juice as someone pointed out and ground Ancho to give it a little more spice and sandy flavor. To make authentic also as someone pointed out, you need Maggi instead of soy and Cross & Blackwell Worcheshire (which you cannot find outside Mexico – it has a slightly different safforon flavor)!
I added the juice from one fresh squeezed small lime to the recipe and made a nice difference. I wonder if you tried this in your experimentations’ back from Tequila town?
Thanks, Jerry
Delicious. I modified with 1tbsp. Lime juice as I like the fresh acid and used 1tsp cane sugar as I didn’t have grenadine and it’s awesome! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the secret ingredients of soy sauce and Worcestershire. I first had Sangrita at a really cool tequila bar in Toronto called Reposado. Their version has finely chopped fresh Jalapeno in it which adds a nice spicy crunch.
Does it matter if you use a blender? You show using a whisk.
We just use a simple wooden spoon to mix everything. Should be no need for a blender!
Spent the past Christmas / New Year’s season in Puebla, Mexico City, and Guadalajara, and experienced Sangrita for the first time. Now can’t imagine enjoying “sampling” tequila without this delicious chaser. After trying others- I made your recipe last night. You guys nailed it! Your recipe is as good as any we had in Mexico!
Mahalo Grover!
Try this adaptation of the above – we find it extremely good.
1 cup tomato juice
1/8 cup orange juice
1 1/2 tsp grenadine
2 1/2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp Tabasco
juice 1/2 lemon (approx. 1 – 1 1/2 tsp)
1/4 tsp horseradish
ground pepper and salt
Happy tasting
Delicioso! I just added a splash of Lemmon juice , a splash of Valentina sauce and extra granadin. I am on the sweeter side. Thanks for sharing. SALUD!