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Summertime = Sangriatime. :-)
So for a happy hour with some friends at my place last week, I decided to put some fresh fruit to use and make some yummy pitchers of sangria for everyone to enjoy on the deck! Unfortunately, though, our crazy Midwest weather kicked the temperature over the 100 degree mark that day. So we ended up enjoying a lovely evening together…in the air-conditioning. :-)
But the sangria still rocked! This happened to be the one day of the summer that I somehow didn’t have fresh berries in the fridge. So ended up just going with oranges, lemons and limes…and it was great!! Since I ended up making a double-batch for the size of our group, I actually combined a bottle of Merlot with some boxed wine we had leftover from a wedding. But hey — that’s the joy of sangria! With all of the other yummy flavors in there, you don’t need a really expensive bottle of wine to make good sangria.
Anyway, this batch ended up being a stellar success. My friends all gave it rave reviews — even without the addition of sugar. I tend to find that the longer you let it sit in the fridge, the less sweetener you need and (of course!) the more fruity the flavor. Yum.
So grab a bottle of wine, whatever fruit you have on hand, and have fun creating your own batch! All the better when enjoyed with good friends. :-)
You will love this fresh, simple, and oh-so-flavorful Red Sangria recipe!
Ingredients
Scale
1 bottle (750 ml.) of any dry red wine (I used Merlot)
3 oranges, two sliced and one for juicing
2 lemons, sliced
2 limes, sliced
2 Tbsp. sugar (optional – I left it out)
1 cup ginger ale, club soda, or lemon-lime soda
1 shot brandy
Instructions
Stir together the wine, orange juice, sugar, and brandy in a large pitcher until the sugar is dissolved. Then add in the orange, lemon and lime slices and stir briefly to combine.
Refrigerate the pitcher and let it sit, preferably 8-12 hours for the juices to meld.
Just before serving, stir in the gingerale (or club soda, or lemon-lime soda) until mixed. Then serve the sangria poured over ice, either strained or served with the fruit slices.
Oh, goodness — there’s nothing better than a carafe of sangria on a hot summer day. And I love when it ends up being is the refreshing, boozy equivalent of an icebox dinner!
I put a drained can of pineapple chunks, a bag of frozen raspberries and about 6-8 sliced strawberries in my sangria. I also slice a lemon, lime, and an orange. Then I put in 1/4 c. triple sec, 3/4 c. brandy and 3/4 c. peach schnapps. So tasty after a few days in the fridge.
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Oh, goodness — there’s nothing better than a carafe of sangria on a hot summer day. And I love when it ends up being is the refreshing, boozy equivalent of an icebox dinner!
I couldn’t agree more! :) The perfect fresh drink for summer!
I love sangria! I like to keep it in the fridge for about a week, it gets all of the fruit flavour! So good.
OMG I love Sangria! This looks awesome!
I love red sangria, but haven’t tried to make it myself. You’re recipe is getting bookmarked right now. Thanks.
Totally making this tonight! We’re doing “Spain day.”
I speak as one of those happy houseguests – it was great! Can’t wait for sushi night to try out the newest recipes!
I love Sangria, a great summer drink.
The best red sangria in KC is at Spin! Pizza of all places. They use sugar-coated frozen grapes as ice cubes. Yum!
I put a drained can of pineapple chunks, a bag of frozen raspberries and about 6-8 sliced strawberries in my sangria. I also slice a lemon, lime, and an orange. Then I put in 1/4 c. triple sec, 3/4 c. brandy and 3/4 c. peach schnapps. So tasty after a few days in the fridge.