I think I should have titled this post Red Wine Sangria: The Most Interesting Drink in the World.  Yes, I know, that’s quite a bold statement but, for me, red wine sangria is a most interesting and versatile drink.  It can be made by adding as much or as little of any type/kind of the key ingredients (wine, fruit, and brandy) and tailored to suit whatever flavors you prefer.  For this recipe, I kept it all pretty basic by using an unflavored Spanish brandy (Torres 5 Imperial Grand Reserva) and the type of fruit that is always in my refrigerator (oranges, apples, and lemons).  Although any variety of fresh or frozen fruit can be used, such as grapes, limes, melon, mango, pineapple, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and kiwi, or whatever is in season.  Sometimes, for the brandy, I’ll even use a flavor infused one.  There’s pear flavored and pomegranate flavored brandies in my liquor cabinet right now that are terrible on their own but fantastic as mixers in sangria.  Grand Marnier can also be used as a substitute for or combined with the brandy for a heightened orange tone.  The sangria making possibilities are endless and it can be made a little differently each time.  Have fun with this recipe, personalize it, and let your imagination run wild.

J and I traveled around Spain a few years ago and we completely fell in love with the infinite beauty of this country.  Since that trip, pretty much once a month, we fantasize about selling most of our belongings, packing up the remaining, and moving to Spain…sigh…hopefully one day.  The Spanish lifestyle and customs, the climate, and, of course, the food is the whole package for us.   One of my favorite memories of that trip is when we were in Barcelona and it was the first time we drank red wine sangria while in Spain.  On our visit, whenever we wanted a refreshing alcoholic beverage during the day, we would drink a beer (because it’s what the locals would drink so there was always a great beer special to be found) .   Well, one day, while we were sitting at an outside restaurant table directly facing Las Ramblas, eating tapas, enjoying the beautiful warm Spanish sun and watching all the gorgeous people around us, we decided to be like tourists and go for the big pitcher of sangria.  Up until this point, we had only had sangria in the US, and some of it was bad (like the stuff that’s made of mostly processed fruit juice except for the teeny-tiny-little bit of cheap wine that is just enough to give you a slamming headache the next day) and some of it was good.  However, the alcoholic wine/fruit elixir we were enjoying this time was on an entirely different level of known sangria-ness.  The flavors perfectly melded together and my taste buds couldn’t distinguish the individual tastes of wine, fruit, and brandy.  Maybe it was the “special” Spanish wine or brandy they used or the fresh fruit or maybe it just tasted better because we were on vacation.  Regardless of the reason, once we arrived back home, I immediately went about perfecting my red wine sangria recipe.

I’m going to say it…red wine sangria is a healthy drink.  Okay, maybe I’m stretching the truth a little but it does have fruit in it and fruit is healthy, right?  A wonderful benefit to eating your fruit after it has been sitting for hours in wine and brandy is that it ends up tasting really, really good.  It’s like an extra bonus treat at the bottom of the glass.  This is how it goes when I drink a glass of sangria: “Oh bummer, I’m finished with my glass of sangria…wait, what…what is this…ooh, I forgot about the tasty bits of alcohol infused fruit that I can now eat as a yummy snack!  Yay me!”.  And the party continues

Note:  I don’t add any additional sugar to my red wine sangria because the orange juice makes it sweet enough for me.  If you wish to make the sangria sweeter, add a little honey or sugar syrup to taste.  Homemade sugar syrup is ridiculously easy to make with only two ingredients.  Just take a small saucepan, bring a mixture of half water and half sugar to a boil and stir until sugar completely melts.  Remove syrup from the heat and let cool.  That’s it!

However you make this Red Wine Sangria recipe, I hope you enjoy it and use it this weekend to celebrate Mother’s Day or serve it at all your summer parties.

5.0 from 3 reviews

Red Wine Sangria

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Author: Tasty Ever After

Serves: 12 cups

Ingredients

• 1 (1.75 liter) bottle of a good quality red wine
• ½ cup brandy
• ½ cup orange juice
• 1 fresh orange, cut into thin slices
• 1 fresh lemon, cut into thin slices
• 2 fresh green apples, diced
• 1 liter sparkling water (can use flavored or plain)
• ice, optional

Instructions

1. Combine the red wine, brandy, orange juice, and fruits in a large pitcher, cover, and chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. When ready to serve, add the sparkling water and stir well. Spoon some of the fruit into each glass, add ice (if desired), and pour the sangria over the top. Make a toast to everyone's good health and enjoy!

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