The Best Party Sangria

Party Sangria

The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Chill : 8 hrs
Total: 8 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 12 servings

Sangria is a fruit-and-wine mixed beverage originating in Spain and Portugal. In fact, only the bottled sangrias coming from those countries can be labeled as such. Even if bottled sangria is delicious, nothing compares to sipping from a glass of freshly made sweet sangria. Say goodbye to premade sangrias and enjoy the fun of mixing your own. Our easy recipe, ready in minutes, is a great beverage to have during summer evenings, or at large gatherings where mixing cocktails to order can prove very difficult and time-consuming. With a pitcher of this sangria, the only thing you'll need is a refill.

White or red, sangrias were concocted by home cooks and not in hotel bars or restaurants. Thus, the multiple and different recipes. With a lot of fruit or very little, very sweet or not at all, what all sangrias have in common is the wine base, the addition of a liqueur, sweetener, nonalcoholic mixer—soda, club soda, or sometimes juice—and chunks of fruit. The fruit, or fruits, its amount, and type depend much on personal preferences, but apples, oranges, limes, and berries rank among the favorites.

Our sweet sangria recipe has three forms of zesty citrus, red berries, and diced juicy pineapple. The fruit components marry well and marinate to form a brilliant backdrop to the fruit-forward wines we think pair best. Cabernet sauvignon, merlot, Rioja, zinfandel, shiraz, tempranillo, or grenache are our suggestions. But regardless of the wine you go with, always choose a bottle that you'd drink on its own. If you can't have it by the glass, it's not worth pouring in your sangria pitcher. Ideally, you'd mix this drink the day before and give it overnight and up to a full day in the fridge so it's properly chilled and all the flavors are developed. If not, give it at least three hours and serve over lots of ice.

“The Best Party Sangria is fresh and fruity and lightened with a little ginger ale for sparkle. Chunks of pineapple and wedges of citrus give it a fresh sweet taste perfect for a summer evening.” —Joan Velush

The Best Party Sangria/Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1 (750 milliliter) bottle red wine

  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges and seeded

  • 1 orange, cut into wedges and seeded

  • 1 lime, cut into wedges and seeded

  • 1 (8-ounce) can diced pineapple, with juice

  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

  • 1 splash orange juice, or lemonade

  • 4 ounces gin, or triple sec, optional

  • 4 cups ginger ale

  • 1 cup raspberries, or strawberries, thawed or frozen

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients to make sangria

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Pour the wine into a large pitcher. Squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon, orange, and lime into the wine.

    A pitcher of red wine with freshly squeeze citrus juice

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Toss in the squeezed fruit wedges. Add the diced pineapple, sugar, orange juice, and gin, if using. Mix well. Chill overnight.

    Pineapple, squeezed citrus sliced, sugar, orange juice, and gin added to the pitcher

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Add the ginger ale, berries, and ice, if desired, just before serving.

    Ginger ale, berries, and ice added to the pitcher

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Variations—Personalize Your Sangria

There is plenty of wiggle room in this recipe—there's no one way of making a great pitcher of sangria:

  • Double up on the fruit and mix and match citrus themes, or add dashes of your favorite berry fruit instead. Other fruit options are green apples, plums, peaches, apricots, blueberries, or cranberries.
  • Turn the sugar up or down based on personal preference or dietary restrictions. Use stevia instead of sugar or replace the sugar with agave syrup. Likewise, use club soda instead of ginger ale to lower the sugar content.
  • Cointreau, rum, Grand Marnier, schnapps, or any other flavored liqueur are a great addition to the sangria.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
188 Calories
0g Fat
38g Carbs
2g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 188
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 1%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 11mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 38g 14%
Dietary Fiber 5g 19%
Total Sugars 26g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 105mg 527%
Calcium 76mg 6%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 427mg 9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags: