Ingredients
- 1 bottle (750 mL) of dry sherry, such as fino or manzanilla
- 2 liters of lemonade or lemon-lime soda
- 8 mint sprigs
- Ice
Instructions
- In a large bowl or pitcher, combine the sherry and lemonade or soda. Stir well to mix.
- Fill stemless white wine glasses with ice. Add the lemonade mixture.
- Garnish with a sprig of mint.
Makes about six cocktails
Variations and Substitutions
Want to change it up? It's easy to make variations on the rebujito.
- You can make your own lemonade, which often has a fresher flavor than if you use pre-made, bottled lemonade.
- Use half lemonade and half lemon-lime soda.
- Use limeade in place of the lemonade or soda.
- Use a fizzy soda, such as cherry limeade, in place of the lemonade or soda.
- Use other flavors of lemonade, such as strawberry or raspberry lemonade.
- Add 1 cup of blackberries or raspberries to the lemonade and sherry mixture and stir, using a spoon to extract the juice lightly as you do.
- Use a dry white wine or a dry sparkling wine in place of the Sherry. Add ½ cup of Cognac or Armagnac to the punch.
- Try it with another dry, fortified wine such as dry Vermouth or a dry Madeira in place of the Sherry.
- Use half brewed iced tea and half lemonade.
Garnishes
A simple mint sprig is a classic garnish. You could also try:
- A citrus wedge, wheel, or peel
- Basil sprig
- Thyme sprig
- Dried citrus
- A pretty fresh or dried edible flower
About Rebujito
Rebujito (pronounced rebu-xito) is a wine punch in the vein of sangria. Punches are the very earliest forms of cocktails created. They originally contained rum, citrus, and spices. Punches were consumed aboard sailing ships from the British East India Company, and they served two purposes. First, making a punch preserved citrus juice so it didn't go rancid on long voyages, which gave the sailors a chance to consume some vitamin C to avoid scurvy. Second, a punch gave them something to drink aside from beer, which would spoil on long voyages.
The rebujito punch originated in Andalusia, Spain. The name is a derivative of the Spanish word arrebujar, which means to wrap. Rebujito is often served at Andalusian fairs, called ferias, in the spring and summer as a thirst quencher for fair goers who are parched after consuming dehydrating fino in the summer heat throughout the day.
Rebujito Is a Refreshing Drink
Lemonade by itself is refreshing, but when you add sherry, you truly have something special. So while you may not be able to make it to Andalusia this summer to enjoy the feria, you can certainly capture its spirit in your backyard by mixing up a pitcher of rebujito.
