There’s nothing that says summer quite like a big pitcher of homemade Sangria! It’s no secret that I absolutely love wine, it is my beverage of choice and over the years I have really developed a great appreciation for it and all the different varieties. My appreciation especially grew a few years ago on our girl’s trip to Europe when we did a winery tour in Chianti, it really increased my knowledge and appreciation of what goes into making wine and how amazing and cultural the whole process is.
When summer rolls around, a glass of wine is great, but a glass of Sangria is even better because it combines your favorite wines with refreshing fruit, tasty brandy, and a little bit of fizz from club soda. Sangria is a beverage that originated in Spain and Portugal and quickly became a popular drink around the world. Sangria is typically served in Spain and Portugal in the summer and it is basically a red wine punch made up of red wine, fruit, a sweetener, and some brandy (you can also make Sangria with white wine and in that case it’s called ‘Sangria Blanco’).
The great thing about Sangria is that it is such a versatile drink and can be made in so many different ways. This recipe is for a classic red wine Sangria, but you can easily substitute out so many of the ingredients; I love to use a medium bodied red wine (like Merlot or Sangiovese) as the base. To that I add peach brandy… I love the depth of flavor brandy adds to Sangria and peach brandy just accentuates the fruity elements a little bit more… and some orange juice for some citrus notes. Sangria will always have some kind of sweetener added to it, typically sugar, but you can substitute honey or syrup as well.
Now comes the fruit! As I said, I kept this recipe pretty basic because I love it that way so I just added thinly sliced oranges, limes, and lemons. However, you can really add whatever fruits you love like blueberries, apples, peaches, melons, pineapple, and grapes! After refrigerating serve the sangria with some club soda for an incredibly refreshing summer cocktail. You should be warned though, Sangria is sooo delicious and goes down verrry easily so watch how much you’re drinking or you’ll be falling over without even realizing you drank any liquor at all! HAPPY SUMMER!
- 2 bottles dry red wine (merlot, rioja)
- 1 cup peach brandy
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 oranges, sliced in thin rounds
- 2 lemons, sliced in thin rounds
- 2 limes, sliced in thin rounds
- 2 cups club soda, cold
- Optional: sliced apples, blueberries, grapes, pineapple, melon, etc.
- Combine the wine, brandy, orange juice, and sugar in a large pitcher. Stir until combined and the sugar dissolves. Add in the fruit slices. Refrigerate until cold.
- To serve, pour in a glass with club soda (add as little or as much as you like depending on how fizzy you want it). Enjoy!
