Red Sangria

Who doesn’t love a good sangria recipe? It’s one of those things where if someone claims to be “the best”, I’d be weary. There are a MILLION really, really good sangria varieties out there.

 

If I told you where this easy sangria recipe came from you probably wouldn’t believe me, so I will keep it a secret, but I got it from a well known restaurant I worked at in college.

There might be a handful of my readers that may recognize it (with a couple of alterations through the years). It is easy, tasty and actually fairly cheap to make in large volumes, so it is a keeper! It’s perfect on a hot summer day when a luke warm glass of red wine seems little heavy.

What is Sangria?

It hails from Portugal and Spain, but has become popular all over the world and is now commonly served in Mexican restaurants as well.

Red, white and sparkling wines are all acceptable as the base and from there a variety of other mix-ins make each batch a custom creation. Sangria usually also boosts fresh seasonal fruit. With so many options for wine and fruit, you can see how the possibilities are endless.

What’s in Sangria

Now is where the fun starts because the add-ins are what makes sangria recipes so fun! My recipe includes these basic ingredients:

• Bottle of Wine
• Lemon juice, lime juice & navel orange juice (fruit juice)
• Lemonade
• Fruit punch (I know, I know, don’t shoot the messenger, it is good!)
• Lemon-lime soda

But other popular versions also inlcude:

• Orange juice
• Seltzer
• Brandy
• Triple Sec
• Orange liqueur
• Whiskey
• White sugar or brown sugar
• Cinnamon stick
• Simple Syrup
• Maple Syrup
• Ginger Ale
• Club soda
• Sparkling Water
• Star anise
• Grand Marnier
• Star anise pods

What Is the Difference Between White Sangria and Red Sangria?

White sangria is made with white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay, and typically incorporates fruits like apples, peaches, and citrus.

On the other hand, red sangria is made with red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Lambrusco or Merlot, and often includes fruits like oranges, strawberries, and cherries, giving it a richer and more robust flavor profile.

How to Make Sangria

Making your batch of sangria will be the easy part! One thing most sangrias have in common is that they aren’t great made ahead of time, the wine and bubbles from carbonated ingredients will fade and the fruit will start to look frumpy. Yes, I just called fruit frumpy.

The goods news is that they are fairly simple and shouldn’t take much time to whip up!

1. Juice the lemon, lime and orange wedges into a large pitcher (see suggestions on keeping it cold below).
2. Add lemonade, fruit punch and sparkling water.
3. Add wine, pouring in slowly to not allow the carbonation to bubble over.
4. Stir to combine and serve over ice.

How to Keep Sangria Cold

If you are in my house, it goes so fast that keeping it cold isn’t really an issue. And typically speaking, we aren’t akin to keeping red wine chilled at all, but Red Sangria is served year round and chilled. There are several options.

1. Ice Bucket– just like champagne, you can put your pitcher or carafe of sangria right on ice in a bucket.
2. Ice in the Pitcher– This one is the easiest, but as you can imagine, ice cubes can also water down the wine cocktail if you don’t drink it fast enough.
3. Craft Ice– Of course you can make it into fun shapes, but I’m suggesting that you freeze sprite, fruit punch or lemonade in the cheap ice trays. Use these to keep it cold in a glass or the pitcher and never have to worry about watering it down! I do suggest using silicone because they are easier to get ice out of and clean.
4. Ice in a Glass- Instead of putting ice into the pitcher, just swap out fresh ice in individual glasses.

Best Wine for Sangria

There is no such thing as “sangria wine”, but it is sometimes called wine punch. As you might be able to surmise, sangrias typically use a sweeter wine and similarly sweet ingredients. For this reason, I like using a Lambrusco or another fruity red wine for the best sangria.

If you like a dry red wine, use a dry. Just use an inexpensive wine. Wink, wink.

Lambrusco is actually an Italian wine made from lambrusco grapes and is typically sweet and dry. The type of wine you use is purely personal preference, here are some other favorites. Remember, this is for red sangria recipe, so I’ve only included red wines, just ask for a sweeter one at the store. You can also request a Spanish red wine and call it a day.

• Zinfandel
• Merlot
• Malbec
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Pinot Noir

Sangria Fruit

Just like wine and add-ins, the type of fresh fruit you use is up to you! I was aiming for a citrus blend and since they are all rind fruits, probably won’t be suitable for eating at the end. I do enjoy popping a boozy berry after I’m done with my glass.

Some fruits aren’t ideal for sitting in a fruity wine bath. Here are our favorites, feel free to customize. You can also use whole spices.

• Cherry
• Pear
• Watermelon
• Grape
• Red Apples and Green Apples
• Peach
• Plum
• Strawberry

Even more cocktail and mocktails:

• Sparkling Blue Hawaiian Cocktail
• Starburst Champagne Cocktails
• Sparkling Peach Sangria
• Champagne Float
• Pomegranate Rosemary Mimosa