How To Make Delicious Sangria To Your Tastes

A favorite at picnics and potlucks, sangria is refreshing, flavorful, and a blast to make! It was the Spanish who made sangria famous, combining wine, sugar, fruit juice, and chopped fruit into a fun mixed drink. Popular during the United States’ colonial period, sangria fell off the map for Americans in the early 1900s, except in Spanish restaurants. Then in 1964, the Spanish pavilion at the World’s Fair in New York featured sangria and Americans never forgot about sangria again.

Unlike some more complex mixed drinks, sangria is easy to make on your own, and is always a total crowd pleaser. Not to mention, when you make sangria from scratch, you get to make it as sweet or strong or fruity as you personally prefer it. Some like to add brandy, flavored liqueurs, sodas, and/or sparkling water to their wine and juice base, while others get really into customizing the chopped fruit for a mixture that’s more citrusy, stone fruit-y, berry-heavy, or evenly assorted.

Red Wine Sangria

You Will Need

• 1 750 ml bottle of medium-bodied red wine (such as Garnacha or Merlot)
• 1 cup of ruby red grapefruit juice
• 2 limes
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• assorted fruits of choice for chopping
• 1 pitcher to combine ingredients

Step #1

Combine 1 750 ml bottle of red wine with 1 cup of ruby red grapefruit juice in a pitcher.

Step #2

Squeeze the juice of 2 limes into the pitcher, and stir.

Step #3

Add in 1/4 cup of sugar, taste, and adjust according to desired sweetness.

Step #4

Chop up or portion assorted fruits of choice. Some great fruits that complement this recipe are strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, and plums. Pour the fruit into your pitcher and stir the contents.

Step #5

Keep your fresh sangria chilled, and incorporate ice when ready to serve.

White Wine Sangria

You Will Need

1 750 ml bottle of chilled white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio)
1/4 cup of apple brandy
1/4 cup of sugar
1 lemon
1 lime
sparkling water
assorted fruits for chopping
1 pitcher to combine ingredients

Step #1

Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime into a sangria pitcher.

Step #2

Add 1 bottle of 750 ml white wine to your sangria pitcher, plus 1/4 cup of apple brandy.

Step #3

Combine 1/4 cup of sugar, and taste. Add more sugar until desired sweetness is achieved.

Step #4

Chop and slice assorted fruits of choice. Peaches, strawberries, and apple work well for this recipe, as well as grapes and berries. Pour the fruit into your pitcher.

Step #5

Stir the contents together, topping with sparkling water according to taste and desired strength.

Step #6

Keep chilled, and incorporate ice when ready to serve.

Customizations

It’s fun to choose what fruits to include in homemade sangria, but making your pitcher your own doesn’t have to stop there! Add in as much extra alcohol (such as vodka or brandy) as you’d like if you want to make your sangria stronger. For fans of fizz, adding soda water, orange soda, or Sprite are great additions, but in keeping with the Spanish theme, consider topping your personalized sangria with Cava for that extra sparkling pop.