Summer Sangria

** This post was originally published on July 18, 2016 by Nick.
It was updated with better pictures and slight modifications to the recipe on July 3, 2018 by Anita.
Original text and humor were kept pure “Nick”. **

Hi everyone! I’m back, and that means we did something with booze. This one was actually mom’s idea, but we thought we’d keep the train rolling where the only topic I post about is adult beverages. I don’t have a problem, I swear.

We saw an article from Imbibe Magazine a couple of weeks ago, and it encouraged experimentation with different fruits, wine bases, alcohols and garnishes to create your own recipe for sangria. Of course, we weren’t going to pass that up. You can read the article in full here, but we decided to go with some spring and summer flavors for our attempt.

Traditionally, sangria is a cocktail consisting of a red wine, chopped fruit, a sweetener and brandy. At least, that’s what Wikipedia tells me. To get more of a summer and sunshine vibe, we used mango, watermelon and lime. With all that fruit, it’s basically a health drink. We added some raspberry and apple flavors by using a cider from the Winterset Cidery. If you haven’t made a trip down to their taproom, we highly recommend it. Then we used a Riesling wine and topped it off with some Bacardi Limón. Once we combined the ingredients, we finished the pitcher with mint leaves, and VOILA, summer sangria.

And the verdict is…it’s good. It’s really good. It’s light, fruity, fresh and crisp, and that’s about all you can ask for on a Tuesday morning afternoon. If we did it again, we thought that a few things could make a good addition / substitution:

• Blueberries
• Strawberries and basil
• Cantaloupe or honeydew
• Pineapple and jalapeno (idk, Mom saw it on Pinterest).
• Sauvignon Blanc and Tequila

Anyway, here’s the recipe.

Summer Sangria

Refreshing and fruit-forward, this sangria recipe is perfect for any summer gathering or just a relaxing moment in a hammock.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Servings 6 glasses

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups Summer Fruit see note below for suggestions
• 1-2 cups Watermelon and/or Cantaloupe cubed
• 1/2 lime sliced
• 1/2 Lemon sliced
• 12 Mint or Basil Leaves
• 12 ounces Hard Cider
• 12 ounces White Wine
• 4 ounces Rum or Vodka see note below for suggestions

Instructions

 

• Combine everything and stir.

Notes

NOTE: Summer fruit suggestions: blueberries, strawberries, peaches, pineapple, or mango.

NOTE: Rum/Vodka suggestions: Bacardi Limón rum was my go-to for this recipe and then I discovered Ketel One Botanical Grapefruit & Rose vodka which is AMAZING! To keep it really simple, just use a plain rum or vodka ... or even gin ... in this recipe. The fruit and herbs will flavor the drink on their own.

NOTE: Over time, the fruit flavors will infuse the alcohol as it and visa versa ... so be careful "munching" on the fruit! Non-alcoholic sparkling waters, tonics, lemonade or green tea can be added to the recipe to balance the alcohol content if desired.

Keyword beverage, drink, fruit, recipe, sangria, simple, summer, wine

The procedure is fairly complex and time sensitive, so do your best to follow the recipe as closely as possible.

Are you still with me? Cool. That’s about it. It won’t hurt to stir periodically, keeping the flavors balanced throughout the drink. Keep it in the fridge and serve cold. Use ice cubes if you wish!

Enjoy!