Overview

Medio y Medio

Name: Medio y Medio
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: Uruguay
Ingredients: 400ml (about 1 2/3 cups) Dry white wine, chilled; 400ml (about 1 2/3 cups) Sparkling wine, chilled; 100g (about 1 cup) Ice cubes

Medio y Medio Uruguayo, Half and Half Wine Drink, Uruguayan Medio y Medio

This medio y medio recipe mixes equal parts dry white wine and sparkling wine — half and half, as the name says — into Uruguay's classic bubbly aperitif. One serving is one tall glass, about 198 g. It is the pale, fizzing drink Montevideo bars have poured for generations, at about 12% alcohol by volume.

Medio y medio means 'half and half', and the name is the whole recipe: half dry white wine, half sparkling wine. The drink was born in Montevideo, where it became the house pour of the city's old bars and cafes, and it is still the glass Uruguayans reach for at asado gatherings and on warm summer afternoons. Unlike its fruity neighbour clerico, which is mixed with fruit, a medio y medio has nothing in it but the two wines — its charm is its simplicity.

Pairs well with: Empanadas, grilled white fish and a green salad

Provenance

Uruguay

Uruguayan Heritage

Latin America & Caribbean

Time Dedication

5m prep • 0m cook

Batch Yield

4 Servings

155 kcal per serving

1 serving ≈ 198 g

Technical Skill

Easy

Easy (No Cooking)

Meal Timing & Digestive Fit

Breakfast

Not Advised

Lunch

Inappropriate

Dinner

Inappropriate

Snack & Tea

Ideal Light Bite

Occasions: Summer afternoons, asado gatherings, aperitif hour, celebrations — adults only Cost: Low — about $2–3 per serving at home

Tags: Sour Mild Vegetarian

Two flutes of pale sparkling wine with fine bubbles rising, one in sharp focus in front

Uruguayan Heritage

Photo: Lachlan Hardy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Heritage Formulary

Measured Ingredients

Dry white wine, chilled 400ml (about 1 2/3 cups)

A dry Sauvignon Blanc — Uruguayan if you can find one. Substitute: Any dry white wine: Pinot Grigio or a dry Torrontes.

How to choose: A crisp, dry bottle with no sweetness; an oaky Chardonnay is too heavy here.

How to prepare: Chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Required
Sparkling wine, chilled 400ml (about 1 2/3 cups)

A dry sparkling wine (espumante), brut — the bubbles are half the drink. Substitute: Dry Prosecco or Cava.

How to choose: A fresh, lively brut with a strong fizz; flat sparkling wine ruins the drink.

How to prepare: Chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

Required
Ice cubes 100g (about 1 cup)

Only for chilling the glasses — the drink itself is served without ice. Substitute: Cold water, to fill the glasses while they chill.

How to choose: Clean, fresh ice.

How to prepare: Keep in the freezer until needed.

Optional

Estimated cost: Low — about $2–3 per serving at home (USD)

A true medio y medio is exactly half dry white wine and half sparkling wine — nothing else in the glass.

Execution Methodology & Culinary Technique

Step-by-Step Cooking Guide

Active 5m

Prep Stage: Two Cold Bottles and Cold Glasses

5 Mins • Chilling

Put both bottles in the fridge at least 3 hours ahead, so they are properly cold — about 4°C (39°F). Chill four tall glasses in the freezer for 10 minutes, or fill them with ice and cold water while you wait. A medio y medio is only as good as it is cold.

Maestro Tip: Never chill the wine in the freezer to save time — a forgotten bottle freezes, and the cork can push out.

1
Chill the Wines

1 Min Fridge-cold, about 4°C (39°F)

Check that both bottles have spent at least 3 hours in the fridge and feel properly cold to the touch. A lukewarm bottle makes a flat, dull drink — if the wine is not cold enough, give it 30 minutes in an ice-water bath before you pour.

An ice-water bath with a handful of salt chills a bottle faster than the fridge alone.

Done when: Both bottles are cold all the way through, about 4°C (39°F).
2
Chill the Glasses

1 Min Freezer-cold, about 0°C (32°F)

Take the glasses from the freezer, or tip out the ice water if you chilled them that way. A cold glass keeps the fizz alive and the drink icy to the last sip.

Do not dry the glasses with a tea towel — lint in the glass kills the bubbles.

Done when: The glasses are cold and misted, with no water left inside.
3
Pour the White Wine

1 Min Serve ice-cold, about 4°C (39°F)

Pour the dry white wine into each glass until it is half full — 100 ml per glass. Pour gently down the side so you do not warm the glass with your hand.

Measure the first glass, then pour the rest to the same level by eye — the halves must be equal.

Done when: Each glass is exactly half full of still white wine.
4
Top with Sparkling Wine

1 Min Serve ice-cold, about 4°C (39°F)

Tilt the glass and pour the sparkling wine slowly down the inside wall until the glass is full. Pouring down the side keeps the bubbles in the wine instead of in a head of foam that spills over.

Open the sparkling wine only when the white wine is already poured — an open bottle goes flat in minutes.

Done when: A full glass, pale gold and fizzing, with a thin ring of bubbles at the top.
5
Stir Once and Serve

1 Min Serve ice-cold, about 4°C (39°F)

Stir each glass once, gently, with a long spoon, just enough to marry the two wines. Serve at once, while the bubbles are still rising.

One slow stir is enough — hard stirring drives the fizz out and leaves a flat glass.

Done when: A pale, sparkling glass with fine bubbles rising, ready to drink.

Finishing Touches & Plating

Half dry white wine, half sparkling wine, poured ice-cold and stirred once — serve at once, while the bubbles are still rising.

Nutritional Physiology & Benefits

Nutrition

Energy

155

kcal / serving

Protein

Complete AA

Carbs

Complex

Fats

Healthy

Per serving (4 servings · 1 serving ≈ 198 g)
Energy	155 kcal
Protein	0 g
Carbohydrates	4 g
Fat	0 g
Fibre	0.0 g
Sugar	1.8 g
Sodium	10 mg

Per 100g
Energy	79 kcal
Protein	0.1 g
Carbohydrates	2.1 g
Fat	0 g
Fibre	0 g
Sugar	0.9 g
Sodium	5 mg

Nutrition values are estimated — calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.

Vitamins & minerals: Almost no vitamins or minerals — the energy comes from the alcohol in the two wines, with small amounts of potassium. Nutrition is estimated.

Just Two Ingredients

Nothing is added — no sugar, no syrup, no mixer. What you pour is what you get: two wines, half and half.

Wine Only, No Spirits

At about 12% alcohol, a glass of medio y medio is gentler than a spirit cocktail, which can run twice as strong.

No Dairy, No Gluten

Two wines and nothing else — the drink is free from milk and gluten, so it suits most tables as it stands.

Food Pairings

What to Eat With

To optimize nutrient absorption and elevate the sensory depth, pair with these authentic accompaniments:

Sides

Uruguayan Empanadas

Crisp, savoury empanadas are the classic partner — the cold, bubbly wine cuts through the rich pastry and leaves the palate clean.

Grilled White Fish

Grilled corvina or hake with lemon is made for this glass — the wine's acidity lifts the fish the way a squeeze of lemon does.

Vegetables

Mixed Green Salad

A light green salad keeps the whole table fresh and crisp, matching the wine instead of weighing the meal down.

Drinks

A Glass of Water

Water between glasses keeps the evening lighter and the next glass tasting fresh.

Complete menu

Serve medio y medio with empanadas and grilled fish, then a green salad — a Montevideo summer evening, with water on the table between glasses.

Digestive Guardrails

What NOT to Combine

To prevent digestive distress, sluggishness, or palate clash, avoid pairing the dish with these elements:

Driving After Drinking

This drink contains about 18.9 g of alcohol per glass, which impairs driving — never drive after drinking, even after one glass. This is general information, not medical advice.

Drinking on an Empty Stomach

Alcohol is absorbed faster on an empty stomach, so the drink hits harder — eat something first, such as empanadas or fish. This is general information, not medical advice.

Mixing with Spirits

Mixing wine with spirits makes it harder to keep track of how much alcohol you have had — keep to medio y medio, and keep count. This is general information, not medical advice.

General information only, not medical advice — consult a doctor for personal dietary decisions.

Who Should Eat It

Who Should Eat

General adultsFor adults of legal drinking age only — one serving is about 155 kcal and contains about 18.9 g of alcohol, so one serving is enough for most evenings.
ChildrenNot suitable for children — this drink contains alcohol.
ElderlyAlcohol affects older adults more strongly — keep to one small serving and ask your clinician.
Pregnant womenNot suitable during pregnancy — alcohol can harm the baby; ask your clinician.
Breastfeeding womenNot suitable while breastfeeding — alcohol passes into breast milk; ask your clinician.
AthletesAlcohol slows recovery and disturbs sleep — skip it on training days.
Weight gainAbout 155 kcal a serving, mostly from alcohol and sugar — it adds energy without filling you up.
Weight lossAlcohol calories add up fast — one serving is enough, and water between drinks helps.

Health Conditions — Adjust or Avoid

Conditions

DiabetesSugar and alcohol can both affect blood sugar — keep to one serving and ask your clinician about your portion.
High blood pressureAlcohol can raise blood pressure — keep to one serving or skip it, and ask your clinician.
Kidney diseaseAlcohol adds fluid and strain for the kidneys — ask your clinician whether any alcohol fits your plan.
GoutAlcohol can trigger gout flares — ask your clinician before drinking.
Stomach issuesAlcohol can irritate a sensitive stomach — drink with food, and ask your clinician if it keeps bothering you.
Cardiovascular diseaseAlcohol affects the heart — keep to one serving or skip it, and ask your clinician.
Fatty liverAlcohol is a leading cause of fatty liver — avoid this drink and ask your clinician.
Food allergiesContains no major allergens. Free from milk, egg, wheat, peanut, tree nut, fish, soy and shellfish. Wine contains naturally occurring sulfites, which some people are sensitive to.
Special therapeutic dietsAsk your clinician or dietitian before drinking — most therapeutic diets exclude alcohol.

If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before changing your diet.

Storage & Use

How to store: Drink at once — a medio y medio is built to be served immediately.
In the fridge: A mixed glass keeps 1 day in a sealed jar in the fridge, but the fizz fades and the wine flattens.
In the freezer: Not recommended — freezing ruins the bubbles and the wine.
How to reheat: Do not heat — serve ice-cold.
Freezing recommended: No — the bubbles and flavour do not survive freezing.
Signs it has spoiled: Flat with no fizz, a stale or vinegar smell, or a cloudy look — pour it out and open fresh bottles.

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