Kelly Daniels
28 December 2019
Mmmm, Sangria. Nothing says unwinding with friends quite like a pitcher of this delicious and beautiful beverage. The quintessential summer drink, it traditionally consists of just wine, chopped fruit, a spirit or liqueur, and some sort of sweetener.
The end result is fun, fruity, and, when done right, wonderfully complex. One of the greatest things about this classic Spanish punch, however, is that it is practically a blank canvas for the inner mixologist in all of us. Just change the fruit, spices, herbs, or liqueur and suddenly you have a whole new sangria experience. Whatever ingredients you choose, it’s best when left to chill overnight, so the flavors can mingle and deepen.
When choosing an Australian wine, you can usually get away with buying a cheaper one than you might normally purchase, but remember that the quality of your wine will have a big impact on the end result. In other words, pick a wine that tastes good and your sangria will taste good!
Red wine sangrias might be the most iconic, but choosing white wines in warmer weather (“Sangria blanca”) or cava (Spanish sparkling wine) for celebrations is also quite common. (A few tips: when using a cava, let the other ingredients sit overnight to develop the flavors, but don’t add the cava until right before serving–otherwise you’ll lose all the carbonation. For red wine, we like Spanish Rioja but a Syrah or Cabernet Sauvignon that’s not oaky will work well too.)
Whether it’s light and fruity on a warm summer’s evening or deeply complex with spices on a chilly night, a glass of sangria is pretty hard to beat.
We’ve found three Sangria recipes for you to read and try today. May they inspire you and make you thirsty!
Red Wine Sangria
A crowd-pleasing basic red wine sangria recipe generally calls for a bottle of red wine. Feel free to keep it under $10, since you don’t need to draw out specific character components in the wine itself, but make sure the wine tastes good enough to enjoy on its own.
While you can serve sangria right away (use chilled wine and pour it over plenty of ice), it tastes even better after the flavors meld together in the refrigerator for a day. Plan ahead and make a pitcher in the morning to have it ready by happy hour.
See the full recipe on The Spruce Eats.
Spanish Rose Sangria
Well, while sangria is definitely Spanish at heart, the modern cocktail versions almost definitely come from the U.S. That’s not to say that you can’t find a good sangria in Spain, just that you’re more likely to find a bad one! Most bars will serve something called sangria, but it’s usually not for locals.
That being said, a good sangria is delicious! And it’s also the perfect cold cocktail to enjoy in the summer sun. Many Spaniards will whip up some sort of wine punch for their family barbecues, using all kinds of wine. My favorite is made with rosé wine, giving the cocktail a delightfully fruity flavor and a beautiful ruby color!
See this recipe over at Spanish Sabores.
White Sangria
If it seems that you can throw just about anything into this pitcher and call it a Sangria, you would be right! Just don’t forget the wine. Without the wine, it’s a Citrus Spritzer. Which is also pretty amazing.
But, that’s how this White Sangria recipe was born. I started playing around with some citrus fruits and then I proceeded to throw everything-alcohol-related into a big pitcher. Before you know it, I was in the process of making one of the best Sangria recipes, ever. EVER!
See this recipe at Diet Hood.
Header image courtesy of The Spruce Eats.
