Make this fruity, refreshing, and boozy red wine sangria for your next get-together. This wine mixed drink comes together in just 10 minutes of prep time and can be customized as per your needs (vegan, gluten-free).
Throwing a party at home, and need some more interesting and yummy cocktail recipes, then try these – Watermelon Mojito, Blueberry Mojito, Pumpkin Spice Martini, Mango Mojito, Strawberry Margarita, and Mango Martini.
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About This Recipe
A traditional beverage originating from Spain, red wine sangria is a sweet cocktail prepared using red wine, fresh fruits, soda, and liqueur. An amazing homemade cocktail, that can be prepared for your house parties or just to sip on a cozy night.
Red wine sangria is fruity, sweet, refreshing, boozy, and summery. It is a great drink to make for a large crowd as it is super easy and quick to make and cheap.
The best part is that sangria wine can be made ahead and the prep work is all of 10 minutes. Customize this fruity beverage according to your requirements.
This Red Wine Sangria is,
- Fruity
- Citrusy
- Smooth
- Boozy
- Sweet
- Summery
- Refreshing
- Vibrant
Ingredients
To make this Spanish summer cocktail, you need very few ingredients and this drink is very customizable. The good part is that there is no standard way to make sangria. You can add or remove any ingredient that you want to.
Red Wine – Red wine makes the base of sangria. You can use any red wine that you like. I have tried making it with expensive wine, inexpensive wine, a wine high in tannins, and wine low in tannins, everything works guys.
Do not use a very expensive wine to make sangria. leftover wine also works great in this recipe.
Brandy – Traditionally brandy was added along with red wine. But you can go ahead and replace it with rum, gin, or vodka.
Orange flavored liquors like grand mariner or triple sec also go very well in this drink. I have also tried adding Midori which is a melon flavored alcohol and it tasted great too.
Simple Syrup – Sangria is a sweet drink. Add simple syrup according to your sweet preference. You can also add sugar, honey, or maple syrup to sweeten it. If your fruits are already very sweet, skip adding any sweetener.
Fruits – Add any fruits that you have at hand. I have mentioned a list of fruits that can be added to sangria below.
Club Soda – You will need club soda to top the glasses. Sparkling water is also fine.
Ice – Serve this sangria drink over ice.
Others – Add a cinnamon stick or a teaspoon of grated ginger for a change in flavor.
How to make Red Wine Sangria?
Start by preparing the fruits. Cut the navel orange into thin slices. Cut 2 limes into thin slices. Wash 10-12 strawberries and chop off their top leafy part. Cut them into small pieces. Wash the green apple and cut it in half. Cut the half into small pieces. Use the other half somewhere else.
Note – You can use any fruits that you like. Make sangria with seasonal fruits for a different taste each time. If using watery fruits, add them to the pitcher closer to the serving time.
Make the simple syrup by mixing ¼ cup sugar with 2 tablespoon water in a pan. Boil for 2-3 minutes on medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup is slightly thick. Remove the pan from heat and let the syrup cool down. A detailed recipe to make simple syrup is here
Note – You can use any sweetener of your choice. Granulated sugar, brown sugar, honey or maple syrup, anything is fine.
Add the orange slices, lime slices, chopped strawberries, and chopped green apples into a large pitcher. You can muddle it slightly to release their flavors.
Pour 1 liter red wine on top.
Add ¼ cup brandy and ¼ cup simple syrup and mix well. You can use any liquor like rum, vodka, triple sec, cognac, or contreau in place of brandy.
Refrigerate the sangria for at least 4 hours or overnight. Add 2 cups of club soda just before serving.
Serve over ice.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use any bold red wine to make a red Sangria. Do not go for expensive bottles to make Sangria. In fact, anything less than $10 is perfect. Below are the wines that I generally use to make red wine sangria.
1. Merlot
2. Shiraz
3. Cabernet Sauvignon
4. Pinot Noir
Here is the list of fruits, that can be used to make Sangria. You can change it and experiment with different fruits every time.
1. Apples
2. Oranges
3. Pineapple
4. Strawberry
5. Blueberry
6. Raspberry
7. Peaches
8. Pears
9. Grapes
10. Cranberry
11. Watermelon
12. Muskmelon
You can also try adding herbs like rosemary, mint, and basil to your sangria for a different flavor.
Some classic sangria recipes use rum instead of brandy. To make sangria with rum, replace brandy with dark rum. You can even make sangria with vodka.
Pro Tips by Neha
Use a good but not too expensive wine. The point of sangria is to get the flavors to blend with each other and make a refreshing blend.
Make sure to refrigerate the sangria at least 4 hours before serving for the flavors to blend nicely. It’s best if you can refrigerate it overnight.
Increase the amount of sugar syrup according to your sweet preference.
You can use fruits of your choice but if using soft fruits, add them closer to serving time otherwise they will get mushy.
You can use spices in your sangria recipe like cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg.
Try adding herbs like basil, mint and rosemary for a change in flavor.
Replace brandy with any orange liquor if you wish to.
Storage Suggestions
A lot of people think that since we do not need to refrigerate red wine, a sangria made using red wine also needs no refrigeration. But unlikely, sangria is more of a cocktail with red wine as one of the ingredients and tastes best when chilled.
Also, the flavors from the fruits must be steeped in the liquid for the best taste. So refrigerating the sangria for at least 4 hours before serving is highly recommended. Overnight is best.
It can last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, so if you have leftovers you can enjoy it the next day or the day after that too.
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Recipe Card
Red Wine Sangria Recipe
Ingredients
- 750 mili liter red wine
- ¼ cup brandy
- ¼ cup simple syrup
- 1 navel orange (cut into thin slices)
- 2 lime (cut into thin slices)
- 10-12 strawberries (chopped)
- ½ green apple (cut into small pieces)
- 2 cups club soda
Instructions
- Start by preparing the fruits. Cut the navel orange into thin slices. Cut 2 limes into thin slices. Wash 10-12 strawberries and chop off their top leafy part. Cut them into small pieces. Wash the green apple and cut it in half. Cut the half into small pieces. Use the other half somewhere else.
- Note – You can use any fruits that you like. Make sangria with seasonal fruits for a different taste each time. If using watery fruits, add them to the pitcher closer to the serving time.
- Make the simple syrup by mixing ¼ cup sugar with 2 tablespoon water in a pan. Boil for 2-3 minutes on medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup is slightly thick. Remove the pan from heat and let the syrup cool down. A detailed recipe to make simple syrup is here
- Note – You can use any sweetener of your choice. Granulated sugar, brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup, anything is fine.
- Add the orange slices, lime slices, chopped strawberries, and chopped green apples into a large pitcher. You can muddle it slightly to release their flavors.
- Pour 750 ml red wine on top.
- Add ¼ cup brandy and ¼ cup simple syrup and mix well. You can use any liquor like rum, vodka, triple sec, cognac, or contreau in place of brandy.
- Refrigerate the sangria for at least 4 hours or overnight. Add 2 cups of club soda just before serving.
- Serve over ice.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!