Clericó – Argentine White Wine and Fruit Punch
Clericó is the Argentine fruit punch: cold white wine, plenty of fresh seasonal fruit and a splash of orange juice. The jug that is on every table at Christmas and New Year — except that there it is 30 °C outside.
If you know sangria, you know the principle. The difference is the order: the fruit steeps on its own first, with sugar and orange juice, for at least two hours. Only then does the wine go in, just before serving. That way the fruit builds its own syrup instead of simply floating in wine.
And the wine should be one you would drink on its own — fruit does not improve a bad wine. The other classic for toasting is the pineapple fizz.
Ingredients
- 1 bottle of white wine (750 ml), well chilled — one you would drink on its own
- 2 peaches, diced
- 2 slices of pineapple, cut into pieces
- 1 green apple, diced
- 200 g strawberries, halved
- 1 orange, cut into segments (plus the juice of a second one)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 250 ml soda water or lemon-lime soda, well chilled
- Ice and mint leaves, to serve
Method
- 1
Cut all the fruit into even bite-sized pieces and put it in a large jug with the sugar and the orange juice.
- 2
Steep in the fridge for at least 2 hours: the fruit gives up its juice and builds the natural syrup that makes a clericó.
- 3
Only at the moment of serving, add the well-chilled white wine and stir briefly.
- 4
Top up with the soda water or lemon-lime soda for the fizz, and a few ice cubes if it is very hot — better only a few, they water the wine down.
- 5
Serve making sure each glass gets a good share of the fruit, with a mint leaf. The fruit at the bottom of the jug is the reward at the end.