A Taste of Puerto Rico: A Recipe for Non-alcoholic Sangria

This overview of Puerto Rico – its geography, its culture, its people, and a recipe, too – was prepared by Jonathan McDonald while a Business Administration student in the College of Business at Southeastern Louisiana University.

The island of Puerto Rico (Rich Port) has a large array of natural riches. Its central mountain range reaches 1,338m (4,390ft); it has the only tropical Rainforest in the US National Forest System, and its beaches brag warm, turquoise waters and soft, yellow sand. The drink I chose is Sangria which is a very popular drink amongst Puerto Ricans. Usually, it is made with white wine and rum.

Country Information

· Geographic Facts
Here are three geographic facts about Puerto Rico:
1. Puerto Rico is the easternmost island of the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean Sea.
2. The island is approximately 90 miles wide in an east-west direction and 30 miles wide between the north and south coasts.
3. It is approximately a thousand miles southeast of Florida and just east of the Dominican Republic and west of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

· 3 “Serious” Facts
Here are three serious facts about Puerto Rico:
1. Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States but if it became a state, Puerto Rico’s land area of 3,435 square miles (8,897 km2) would make it the 49th largest state (larger than Delaware and Rhode Island).
2. There are almost four million Puerto Ricans, which would make the island the 23rd most populous state (between Alabama and Kentucky).
3. San Juan isPuerto Rico’s capitol.

· 3 “Fun” Facts
Here are three serious facts about Puerto Rico:
1. In 1493, Christopher Columbus discovered the island and claimed it for Spain.
2. Puerto Rico means “rich port” in Spanish.
3. In 1948, the U.S. government began Operation Bootstrap, which infused millions of dollars into the Puerto Rican economy and made it one of the wealthiest in the region.

· A “Potpourri” Item
Here is an unusual fact (or two or three) about Puerto Rico:
Drinking Age: The legal drinking age in Puerto Rico is 18. No matter what your age is, you can’t drink on the street in Old San Juan.
Gambling: Given the number of casinos on the island, this may not be a real surprise, but gambling is legal all over the island. However, only hotels are allowed to have casinos.
Road Rules: For some reason, gas is sold by the liter, but distance is measured in kilometers. To make things even more confusing, speed is measured in miles per hour. The legal driving age is 16.

Food Information

· Recipe
4 cups white grape juice
1 orange, cut in small pieces
3 cups sparkling water
4 to 5 fresh strawberries, sliced
1 cup orange juice
Ice cubes
Combine all of the ingredients in a pitcher. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Source: http://www.recipehound.com/Recipes/1564.html.

· My Kitchen Story

The first mistake I made was not paying attention to the ingredients before I went to the grocery. Instead of white grape juice I bought regular grape juice. I didn’t realize this until I was finished preparing the fruit and getting ready to mix everything together. Luckily Winn-Dixie doesn’t close until 11, so I was able to exchange the regular grape juice for the white grape juice. The next mistake I made was doing this late at night. The recipe I had made between 8 and 10 servings. For some reason it didn’t occur to me to multiply the number of extra batches I need by the original recipe. At that time, it made sense to just keep using the amount of ingredients that made 8-10 servings several times until I had enough. After spending all of that time making the Sangria, it finally dawned on me what could have made this go a lot smoother. Besides the mild brain farts, it was an overall easy drink to make.

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Contact Info: To contact the author of “A Taste of Puerto Rico A Recipe for Non-Alcoholic Sangria,” please email Jonathan McDonald at w0336375@selu.edu.

David C. Wyld (dwyld@selu.edu) is the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, and executive educator. His blog, Wyld About Business, can be viewed at http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/.

Originally published at A Taste of Puerto Rico: A Recipe for Non-alcoholic Sangria

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