We’ve rounded the corner into hot summer days here in Pennsylvania.
When it comes to wine, there’s only one way I know how to beat the heat: make some fresh Sangria!
Sangria is one of my favorite wine cocktails to make for family, friends, and guests during the hot summer months. I love taking different wine varietals and making various mixtures of Sangria perfection.
Below are two of my favorite Sangria recipes and how I have altered them for red and white wine Sangria. Enjoy!
Blackberry Sangria
This Blackberry Sangria recipe from All Recipes is one of my favorite red wine Sangria versions. The ingredients are simple and the result is a refreshing, chilled red wine cocktail.
Some alterations I typically make to the attached recipe:
- I don’t always use a Spanish wine. Sometimes I use an inexpensive California wine or a dry, red hybrid varietal like DeChaunac, Chambourcin, or Chancellor. Recently, I made this recipe using a lightly bubbled DeChaunac. Delicious!
- I do not add as much sugar as the recipe calls for in the attached link. I like my Sangria to be a little less syrupy sweet. I’ll skip the added sugar and only add a few splashes of orange juice.
- Lots of ice tones down the alcoholic punch. Plus, it makes the drink quite refreshing as the ice melts and mixes with the wine cocktail.
White Wine Summer Sangria
Another favorite Sangria is a white wine cocktail, which I’ve perfected over the years using dry Vidal Blanc wine. You can use a sweet Vidal Blanc wine, but if you prefer a less sweet Sangria, skip some of the ingredients that contain more sugar (i.e., minimizing the amount of orange juice you use or adding ginger ale). Ingredients for this Sangria:
- 2 bottles of Dry Vidal Blanc wine
- 1/3 cup of rum
- 1/4 cup of Triple Sec
- 1/4 cup of ginger brandy
- 1/4 cup of Amaretto
- 1/2 cup of orange juice
- 1 orange, juiced (use orange for garnish)
- top with 1 can of ginger ale
- Pour over ice
I’ve done a few variations of this as well:
- I occasionally mix varietal wines. One of my favorite combinations is one bottle of Vidal Blanc + one bottle of Riesling. Feel free to get creative here!
- I’ll add a number of fruit additions to this Sangria, depending on the season. Some examples include apples, pineapple, oranges, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, and peaches. You could add any fruits to your liking including things like mango and star fruit.
- Again, lots of ice helps to tone down the alcoholic punch.
