Sangria is the perfect minimal-effort crowd pleaser for lazy days by the pool: boozy, but not too much, refreshing and pretty. The basic formula is simple, just add a quarter cup of brandy to a bottle of wine, a bit of sugar, and a whole lot of sliced fruit. Let it sit (macerate) for 1-8 hours, pour over ice, and top with sparkling water. We find that doubling the recipe is best for filling a pitcher – and pleasing a group!
Try one or all of our favorite red, white or rosé variations below and tell us what you think, and don’t forget to mix up an alcohol-free version so that no one is left out of the fancy drink party.
Tips:
- Choose dry wines, but don’t use the best (or the worst) stuff for these recipes.
- Total Wine is a great source for small bottles of brandy and liquors.
- Use ripe, flavorful fruit. If it’s not in season, frozen fruit is totally fine. Just combine with brandy and sugar and let it thaw as it macerates.
- Brandy is any kind of spirit made from fermented fruit juice. Usually, it’s made from grapes (aka wine), but it can also be made from apples, pears, or other sweet fruits. Cognac, Armagnac, Calvados, and Grappa are all types of brandy, so have fun trying different types for different sangrias.
- For even more flavor try topping your drinks with flavored sparkling water rather than club soda.
Classic Red Sangria
We’ve left this classic sangria recipe deliberately vague so that you can customize it to your own preferences with the best fruits of the season and your favorite moderately-priced red wine. Feel free to use a flavored sparkling water to top your drinks rather than plain club soda.
- 2 cups sliced fruit (any combination of oranges, lemons, grapes, apples, pears, plums and berries (plus extra for garnish))
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ cup brandy
- 2 bottles red wine (preferably Burgundy)
- ice
- club soda
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Place all ingredients except wine and ice in a pitcher and stir to combine.
- Refrigerate for 6-8 hours.
- Add wine and stir to combine.
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Serve over ice with some fruit for garnish. Top with club soda.
Green Apple White Sangria
Adapted from Rachel Ray. This classic version adds Calvados, a brandy made from apples, to give the sangria a very pleasant depth of flavor.
- 3 tablespoons sugar (substitute agave nectar or honey if desired)
- ½ cup Calvados (or other apple liquor)
- 1 lime (sliced)
- 1 lemon (sliced)
- 1 bag frozen peaches
- 2 ripe green apples (seeded and cut into thin slices)
- 2 bottles white Rioja Spanish wine (or other dry white wine)
- 1 pint raspberries (optional)
- ice
- club soda
- Pour sugar and Calvados in the pitcher, stir until sugar is dissolved. Add all fruit except raspberries. Add wine, stir, and chill sangria several hours or a day.
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To serve, add ice to glasses, then spoon in fruit. Add a few fresh raspberries to each glass, then pour sangria over top of the fruit.
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Top glasses off with a splash of club soda and serve.
Rosé Berry Sangria
Adapted from the Food Network.
- 2 bottles dry Rose wine
- 1/2 cup brandy
- 3 tablespoons raspberry liqueur (such as Chambord)
- 2 tablespoons sugar (or agave syrup)
- 1 ½ cups raspberries (plus more for garnish)
- 1 ½ cups hulled and quartered strawberries (plus more for garnish)
- 1 lemon (sliced )
- ice
- club soda
- Mix wine, liqueur, sugar, and fruit in a pitcher.
- Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
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To serve, fill glasses with ice, pour in sangria and garnish with fruit.
- Add club soda just before serving.
Non-Alcoholic Sangria
Adapted from lovebakesgoodcakes.com
- 2 lemons (1 sliced and 1 juiced)
- 1 lime (sliced)
- 1 orange (sliced)
- 1 carton raspberries
- 2 cups cranberry juice
- 2 cups grape juice
- 1 cup orange juice
- 2 cups club soda or lemon-lime soda
- Ice
- Optional: Extra sliced fruit for serving
- Combine fruit and fruit juices in a pitcher. Refrigerate minimum 1 hour, until ready to use.
- Fill glasses with ice, add sangria and garnish with fruit.
- Add club soda or lemon-lime soda right before serving.