Tinto de Verano by arkangel.

Drink of the Week: Tinto de Verano

Where: Estadio

Leave it to the Spaniards to think of new and surprisingly delicious things to mix with wine. The inventors of sangria, a veritable D.C. summertime staple thanks to Jose Andres and Jazz in the Garden, also have a serious wine spritzer habit. In Spain, it’s common to mix wine with cola, lemon soda, or orange soda.

Tinto de Verano, a 50/50 mixture of red wine and lemon soda served over ice, initially sounds like a sure fire way to ruin a perfectly acceptable bottle of wine. (Confession: I thought it sounded like an abomination the first time someone described it to me.) However, the resultant drink is surprisingly crisp and refreshing. The sweetness of the soda blunts the harsh edge of a cheap red, while the lemon and bubbles give the drink a bright punch.

As much as you might not want to like it — putting fruit in wine seems okay, but soda evokes the likes of Bartles and Jaymes — Tinto de Verano is unexpectedly enjoyable. It actually tastes a lot like… a glass of sangria. In other words, it’s perfect for a picnic or some leisurely patio sipping. While Tinto de Verano is on the menu at Estadio, you can easily make one at home using Sprite or some San Pellegrino Limonata if you want to get fancy.

Small Bites

Taco Party
For the many of us longing for some good Mexican food in D.C., there is hope. Two new taco joints will be opening up in this summer. PoP has word that El Chucho’s Cocina Superior in Columbia Heights will be opening on June 17th, while food truck Tacos El Chilango will be opening their brick and mortar location at 11th and V next month.

Adult Sandboxes are the New Cupcakes
A new restaurant, replete with games like bocce, cornhole and, yes, a sandbox, is in the works for Shaw. Garden State, named for it’s location on New Jersey Avenue, will feature all outdoor patio seating and only operate for part of the year. Developer Aaron Hirsh is still working with the city to get a zoning variance but hopes to open by next March.

Like a Culinary Mount Rushmore
Perhaps it was only a matter of time: Alan Popovsky, owner of Lincoln, is opening his second POTUS-themed restaurant. Teddy & the Bully Bar, a send up to Teddy Roosevelt, will be moving into the old Sam and Harry’s space at 19th and M Street NW. In a nod to TR’s love of hunting, the menu will feature wild game served in a small plates style. Could a Thomas Jefferson-themed farm-to-table casual dining concept be next? Maybe!