sangrita is a popular nonalcoholic accompaniment served with tequila. Many have laid claim to sangrita, but its probable origins lie in the early twentieth century in the resort region of Chapala, Jalisco, where local restaurateur Jose Edmundo Sanchez served house-made agave firewater. To quench the hooch-fueled flames in their patrons’ mouths and throats, Don Jose’s wife, Doña Guadalupe, prepared plates of sliced oranges sprinkled with chili and salt. As the popularity of her side dish grew, the combination transitioned to a liquid form, which they offered in their restaurant. Known as In 1957, the couple’s entrepreneurial son, Edmundo Sanchez Nuño, launched Productos Sane, a company whose first offering was a bottled version of his parents’ house beverage spiked with red vegetable dye and labeled Sangrita de la Viuda de Sanchez (Sangrita of the widow Sanchez), a nod to Doña Guadalupe (Jose had died in 1929). The rights to Sangrita de la Viuda were sold to the Cuervo company in 1970, but by then sangrita had taken a different trajectory in Mexican drinking culture. Whether due to the bright red color of the bottled version or its name, the accepted recipe for Sangrita turned toward the nightshades and became a tomato-juice-based shooter resembling a tiny Bloody Mary. Thanks in large part to a yearly sangrita competition hosted by Tequila Ocho, sangrita is returning to its role as a consort of tequila meant to complement and highlight rather than overpower. Though the exact recipe for that first companion may be lost, the following recipe from Portland, Oregon, bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler is a refreshing homage to Doña Guadalupe’s palate-saving offering. Recipe: Mix 30 ml fresh orange juice, 25 ml fresh lime juice, 15 ml real pomegranate grenadine, and a pinch (approx. 2 ml) pasilla chile powder; chill and serve. See also agave; Jose Cuervo; Mexico; shooter; tequila. “Gente nuestra: Edmondo Sánchez Nuño.” Página: semanario de la Ribera de Chapala, December 17, 2016, 14–15. McCaleb, Kenneth. “Tequila-Mexican Elixir.” Esquire, September, 1960, 159–162. Morgenthaler, Jeffrey. “How to Make Sangrita.” Jeffrey Morgenthaler website, June 10, 2008. http://www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com/2008/how-to-make-sangrita/ (accessed March 10, 2021). Potters, Cristina. “From That Little Beginning.” Mexico Cooks (blog), March 14, 2007. http://mexicocooks.typepad.com/mexicocooks/2007/03/salsacholula.html (accessed March 10, 2021). By: Misty Kalkofen
