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# Clericó Fruit Salad — "La Final" (Spain vs. Argentina)
- URL: https://www.kevinmeyer.com/clerico-fruit-salad-la-final-spain-vs-argentina/
- Published: 2026-07-19T15:51:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-20T15:51:23.000Z
- Author: Kevin Meyer
- Tags: cooking the world

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c3/9a/c39a9c8a-1d82-46be-8e4f-ed7e6cd347f4/content/images/2026/07/clerico.jpg)

From my [Cooking the World series](https://www.kevinmeyer.com/cooking/)...

*A sangria-meets-clericó macerated fruit salad for the 2026 World Cup Final*

**Serves:** 10 **Total time:** \~30 minutes active + 2–6 hours maceration **Difficulty:** Easy **Diet:** Vegetarian (vegan if honey is swapped for agave)

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## Origins & Social Context

Clericó is Argentina and Uruguay's answer to sangria — and, fittingly for this final, a direct descendant of it. Spanish immigrants brought the tradition of macerating fruit in wine to the Río de la Plata in the 19th century, where it evolved into a lighter, white-wine-based summer drink loaded with so much fruit that it blurs the line between beverage and dessert. In Argentina, clericó is inseparable from gathering: it appears at Christmas and New Year's tables (which fall in midsummer there), at *asados*, and at any occasion where a large group shares one bowl. The serving ritual is communal by design — a ladle for the wine, a slotted spoon for the fruit, and everyone returning to the bowl throughout the afternoon.

Spain's sangria tradition works the same way socially: a shared pitcher as the centerpiece of a long, unhurried meal. So a clericó-style fruit salad isn't a themed novelty for this match — it's the rare dish both finalists can claim as their own. The colors cooperate too: strawberries, oranges, and peaches carry Spain's red and gold, while blueberries and bananas nod to Argentina's *albiceleste*.

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## Ingredients

### Maceration Liquid

- 2 cups dry Spanish white wine (e.g., Verdejo) — or white grape juice for a non-alcoholic version
- 1 cup fresh orange juice
- 3 tbsp honey
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 cinnamon stick

### Fruit

- 3 navel or Valencia oranges (2 segmented, 1 juiced for the liquid above)
- 1½ lb strawberries, hulled and halved
- 4 ripe peaches or nectarines, cut in wedges
- 2 cups green grapes, halved
- 2 cups blueberries
- 1 pineapple, cored and cut in chunks

### To Finish

- 3 bananas, sliced (added just before serving)
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, torn, plus sprigs for garnish

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## Instructions

1. **Make the maceration liquid.** In a large bowl, whisk together the wine (or grape juice), orange juice, honey, and lime juice until the honey dissolves. Drop in the cinnamon stick.
2. **Combine the sturdy fruit.** Add the orange segments, strawberries, peaches, grapes, blueberries, and pineapple. Fold gently so nothing bruises.
3. **Macerate.** Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, up to 6\. The fruit absorbs the wine and citrus while releasing its own juices — this exchange is what separates clericó from ordinary fruit salad.
4. **Finish and serve.** Just before serving, remove the cinnamon stick and fold in the bananas and torn mint. Garnish with mint sprigs.

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## Presentation

- Serve in a large glass bowl or pitcher so the colors show.
- Set out a slotted spoon for the fruit and a ladle for the liquid — the punch is half the point.
- For individual servings, layer in clear cups to display both flags' colors.
- If serving outdoors in July heat, nest the bowl in a larger bowl of ice; the salad holds well through 90 minutes plus extra time.

**Non-alcoholic version:** Substitute white grape juice 1:1 for the wine and add a splash of sparkling water at serving. The lime juice compensates for the dryness the Verdejo would otherwise provide.

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## Shopping List

### Produce

- 3 navel or Valencia oranges
- 1½ lb strawberries
- 4 ripe peaches or nectarines
- Green grapes (2 cups)
- Blueberries (2 cups / 1 pint)
- 1 pineapple
- 3 bananas
- 2 limes
- Fresh mint (1 bunch)

### Wine / Beverage

- 1 bottle dry Spanish white wine (Verdejo or similar) — or white grape juice

### Pantry

- Honey
- Cinnamon stick
- Orange juice (if not juicing extra oranges)

### Likely Already Have

- Honey
- Sparkling water (optional, for non-alcoholic version)