Sangria

Wine purists...look the other way because this page is dedicated to Sangria! I've found so many wonderful ways to make Sangria and I'd love to share them with you here. I've also found that Sangria is such a fun (and picturesque) party drink. To have a colorful, fruit-filled pitcher alongside festive glasses makes such a beautiful table display. To me, Sangria accentuates the splendor of a great bottle of wine. So, if you are interested in "playing" with wine, keep checking out my Sangria recipes throughout the summer!

Peach, Mango & Pineapple White Sangria
Source: LoveVeggiesandYoga.com
Serves: 8

Ingredients:
1 bottle white wine (pinot grigio would be great)
1/3 cup peach schnapps
1/4 cup sugar, or to taste (or stevia, agave, or another sweetener)
3/4 cup mango chunks, frozen (you could use fresh but save money and buy frozen, plus they act as “ice cubes”)
3/4 cup pineapple chunks, canned
1/3 cup pineapple juice (use whatever is in the can)

Directions:
Combine first three ingredients in a large pitcher and stir until sugar dissolves. Add the remaining ingredients, stir, and refrigerate until chilled.

Notes:
Flavors marry and mellow as time elapses. Sangria gets better 8 to 24 hours later, similar to spaghetti sauce. You can (and should) make this a day ahead of time for a party or event if time and planning permits.

Italian Sangria
Source: RachelRay.com
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
1 bottle dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio (750 ml)
1 cup grapefruit liqueur, such as Campari
2 lemons, thinly sliced, seeds discarded
2 oranges, thinly sliced, seeds discarded
Ice cubes, as needed
1 bottle club soda or seltzer water (1 liter)


Directions:
In a large pitcher, combine the wine, grapefruit liqueur and citrus slices. Refrigerate the punch until ready to serve (the sangria can be refrigerated up to 2 days).

To serve, fill glasses with ice, then fill them 3/4 full with the punch and top off with a splash of club soda or seltzer water.

Summer Fruit Sangria
Source: MarthaStewart.com
Serves: 8

Ingredients:
2 ripe plums, pitted and cut into 1/4-inch wedges
1 large Gala apple, cored and cut into 1/8-inch wedges
1 navel orange, thinly sliced crosswise, larger slices halved
6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) raspberries
1 cup vodka
2 bottles dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc, chilled
1/4 cup superfine sugar

Directions:
Combine plums, apple, orange, raspberries, and vodka in a nonreactive bowl. Let stand, uncovered, at room temperature for 2 hours.

Combine wine and sugar in a pitcher, and stir until sugar dissolves. Add fruit mixture, and stir gently to combine. Serve immediately over ice.

Bonefish Signature Red Sangria
Source: Bonefish Grill - Behind the scenes
Serves: 1

Ingredients:
Merlot - 4 oz
Grand Marnier - 1 oz
Pomegranate Juice - 1-2 oz
Mango Juice - 1-2 oz
Oceanspray Cranberry Juice - 1 oz
Soda Water - 2 oz

Procedure:
Put ice in wine glass until glass is full. Add all ingredients. Transfer into shaker tin and mix back and forth 2 or 3 times to thoroughly mix. Add soda water. Add cherry, mango, lime wheel as garnish. Don't forget 2 cocktail straws.

Hint #1: Add some sugar to the mixture if you want a sweeter sangria, or use a pomegranate juice and mango juice that has been sweetened already.

Hint #2: Add more pomegranate or mango juice to the mixture if you want a fruitier sangria and less if you want a more distinct red wine flavored sangria.

Peach Grapefruit Sangria
Source: Eat-Drink-Love.com

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 glasses

Ingredients
1 bottle white wine (my recommendation would be a Pinot Grigio)
2 cups peaches, diced
1/2 grapefruit, diced
1 1/2 cups peach soda or ginger ale
1/4 cup sugar + 1/4 cup water (optional)

Instructions:
1.Combine the wine, peaches, grapefruit, and soda or ginger ale in a large pitcher.
2.If you want the sangria to be sweeter, heat sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves to make a simple syrup. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Stir in the simple syrup to reach desired sweetness.
3.Refrigerate the sangria for at least two hours before serving.

Notes
Want to make your sangria more fizzy? Swap out the wine for a dry champagne.

Red, White & Blue Sangria
Source: RecipeGirl.com

Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Prep Time: 15 min

Ingredients:
2 bottles dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc is good)
1 cup triple sec
1/2 cup berry-flavored vodka
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup simple syrup (see tips below)
1 cup blueberries
1 1/2 cups hulled and sliced strawberries
1 cup raspberries
1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large punch bowl or pitcher and stir well. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Serve well-chilled with a good scoop of fruit floating in each drink, or serve over ice.

Notes
*To make 1/2 cup simple syrup, boil 1/2 cup water and add 1/2 cup granulated white sugar. Turn heat to simmer and stir until dissolved. Turn off the heat and let cool. Now it's simple syrup!
*Use fresh fruit for this recipe. Frozen just won't be great.
*To make star-shaped pineapple pieces, cut long & wide pieces of pineapple off the side of the fresh fruit. use a star cutter to cut shapes.

Strawberry and Peach Sangria
Source: Bon Appetit

Yield: 8 - 10 Servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1 750-ml bottle dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc)
1 1/2 cups Essensia (orange Muscat, a sweet dessert wine)
1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
1 cup peach liqueur
3 peaches, each cut into 12 slices
1 large orange, cut crosswise into 6 slices
1 large lemon, cut crosswise into 6 slices
1/4 cup strawberry syrup (optional)
3 to 4 cups ice cubes

Directions:
Mix white wine, Essensia, strawberries, peach liqueur, peaches, orange slices, lemon slices, and strawberry syrup in large pitcher, smashing citrus slices slightly. Let stand at room temperature at least 2 hours or chill up to 4 hours. Serve sangria over ice.

Sangria Perea
Source: Guy Fieri

Prep Time: 5 min
Serves: 6 rocks glasses

Ingredients
3 cups ice cubes
1/4 cup lemon slices
1/4 cup lime slices
1/4 cup orange, slices
1/4 cup pineapple chunks
1/4 cup seedless grapes
2 cups red wine (Chianti works well)
1/2 cup peach brandy
1 cup orange juice
1 cup lemon/lime soda

Directions:
In a pitcher, add all the ingredients and stir to combine. Ideally, you want to wait about 1 hour for the fruit and the wine to infuse each other, but you can drink it right away.


I'd also love to hear about your favorite Sangria recipes, so please feel free to share!

Cheers!