What I love about this red sangria recipe
The first time I ever had homemade sangria was at my friend Alex’s bachelorette weekend. Of course, I had ordered sangria before at restaurants, but I found that they were always so full of juice and not very wine-y.
My friend Jane brought this red sangria as her drink to share, and it was perfect. I never knew it was so simple it is to make.
She sent me this easy sangria recipe and I tested it out with the Cointreau we had gotten as a wedding gift from the team fan club.
If you like this recipe, you have to try this white peach sangria, and this Thanksgiving sangria and these frozen sangria wine slushies.
Looking for even more sangria recipes? Try my pink moscato sangria, rose sangria, Christmas sangria or apple cider sangria. If you’re looking for something nonalcoholic, try this virgin sangria.
Ingredients:
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
- Cointreau – If you don’t have Cointreau, you can easily substitute triple sec or any other orange liqueur (or even a different fruity liqueur).
- Red wine – Anytime I’m making cocktails with wine, I try to use a cheaper bottle of wine. I don’t recommend the cheapest of the cheap, but don’t use a really nice bottle of wine for sangria. It would be a complete waste.
I think the best red wine for sangria is something on the sweeter side, like a pinot noir or a Spanish Rioja. If you have a few bottles that haven’t been finished, feel free to mix wines for sangria. It will give the drink a more complex flavor, but stick with similar flavor profiles if you can. - Fruit – For this recipe I chose to use strawberries, peaches, an orange, a lemon and a lime. Any of these fruits can be swapped with others! Try apples, pineapple, or fresh berries. Pears and grapes will also work for sangria.
- Club soda – Add it just before serving to keep it nice and bubbly.
The following is a detailed overview of the recipe steps with added tips and tricks for recipe success. For a simplified and printable version, including ingredient amounts and more formal instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to make this red wine sangria recipe
Dissolve sugar in juice and liqueur. Pour your sugar, orange juice and liqueur into a large glass pitcher. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
Add wine and fruit. Next, pour in your bottle of wine and add your sliced or chopped fruit. Stir to combine and submerge the fruit into the liquid.
Chill overnight. I like to chill my sangria overnight to let the fruit really do its job of flavoring the wine, but several hours should do the trick if you’re short on time.
Top with club soda. Before serving, top your pitcher off with club soda or top individual glasses as you serve them to prevent the soda from going flat.
More cocktail ideas. brandy old fashioned / jalapeño margarita / pink squirrel / saketini
Frequently asked questions
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup Cointreau - or triple sec
- 1 bottle red wine
- 1 1/2 cups club soda
- Sliced strawberries - about 1 cup
- 1 peach - sliced
- 1-2 oranges - sliced
- 1/2 lemon - sliced
- 1/2 lime - sliced
Instructions
- Mix orange juice, lime juice, sugar and Cointreau in a pitcher until sugar is dissolved.
- Add the wine, club soda and fruit.
- Chill for about an hour before serving.
