Sangria is a sweetened, refreshing drink with red wine and fruit as its main ingredients. It might also contain lemon-lime soft drinks or other liqueurs. It hails from Spain and is an excellent choice for outdoor celebrations, picnics, and backyard barbecues, especially during warmer months.
Effortless drink
If you like red wine and Summer drinks and you never tried sangria yet, you're in for a wonderful surprise.
This quick, easy red wine cocktail (a wine punch) is perfect for hot days and lazy weekends. This is a traditional recipe, but you can also make white wine sangria, rosé sangria with strawberries and festive cranberry sangria.
The work or effort is minimal, and the results are fresh, fruity, and boozy.
Testing Notes
The type of red wine you use will significantly impact the overall flavor. I enjoy using a good Malbec (my favorite by far) or Merlot. However, this recipe works well with any red wine you prefer, such as Tempranillo (a classic Spanish wine from Rioja), Cabernet Sauvignon (which is a bit strong for this drink, in my opinion), or Pinot Noir. If using sweeter ones, decrease the sugar or syrup in the recipe.
Don't add too much fruit from the start, as you may run out of pitcher space for the wine after adding ice.
Sweetener: You can use a simple syrup or sugar. I prefer the first option as it blends more quickly and doesn't pool at the bottom of the pitcher.
If possible, use large ice cubes, the ones sold for professional use. They don't melt as quickly, so the drink takes longer to dilute. That said, it will work just fine with regular ice cubes, but they will melt faster.
Should you make it ahead?
That depends on your schedule. Sangria improves and deepens as the fruit macerates, so making it several hours ahead and chilling it works well. But freshly made sangria is also great—I’ve never had complaints either way.
When feeding a large party, I double, triple or quadruple (and more!) this recipe, and use a glass drink dispenser to serve it. If you entertain frequently outdoors and love to serve sangria, it's a good idea.
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Traditional Red Wine Sangria (easy recipe)
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- 3 slices lemon with rind
- ½ large sliced orange with rind
- ½ large unpeeled red apple
- ½ large peach with skin
- 1 bottle red wine, cold is better
- 2 tablespoons orange juice, from the remaining orange half
- ½ cup lemon-lime soda, 7up, Sprite or ginger ale, cold is better
- large ice cubes
Instructions
- Don't add too much fruit from the start, as you might run out of pitcher space for the wine after you add ice.
- You can use sugar and stir it with the rest of the ingredients. Or use a simple sugar syrup that can be made ahead. The syrup dissolves much better and is what we use.
- Make the simple syrup: combine ⅓ cup sugar with ⅓ cup water. Stir to moisten and cook over medium heat, without stirring, until it breaks into a boil. Remove and let cool completely. Keep refrigerated in an airtight jar or bottle. It keeps almost indefinitely.
For the sangria:
- Have a large pitcher ready to hold the whole bottle of wine, fruit and ice.
- Add 3 slices lemon with rind and some large ice cubes.
- Add ½ large sliced orange with rind, ½ large unpeeled red apple and ½ large peach with skin. Add the 2 tablespoons orange juice (squeeze the remaining half orange) into the jar.
- Pour in 1 bottle red wine.
- Add about ¼ cup of simple syrup and ½ cup lemon-lime soda. Stir the sangria and check the sweetness. Adjust by adding more syrup or soft drinks.
- Check flavors and adjust if necessary.
Notes
Without the fruit: Use a sieve to drain the liquid and pass it to a sealed jar or bottle. Refrigerate the sweet wine, but discard the fruit (or eat it). This is my first recommendation if storing it for a few days. Fruit ferments quickly, and there's a good chance the sangria was left outside or at room temperature before you store leftovers. So the fruit will already be heavily macerated.
With fruit: if you store it with fruit because you'll be drinking it again soon, smell and taste it before serving to ensure it's not fermented. Variations: use a dash of orange liqueur (Cointreau or Grand Marnier), Triple sec (citrus), brandy or cognac. Use honey or fruit syrup (like fig or grape) instead of sugar or brown sugar for a caramel tone. Add a cinnamon stick or star anise to the wine and let macerate with the fruit.
Process steps
- You need unpeeled fresh fruit: apples, lemons, oranges, and peaches.
- Slice the fruit and add it to the pitcher you'll be using.
- Add the red wine first, ideally the whole bottle. Add some ice and stir.
- Sweeten it with simple syrup and add other liqueurs or soft drinks. Add small amounts at first and adjust. Stir well, and that's it; your pitcher of sangria is ready!
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