Name: Simple Red Sangria
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Cuisine: Spanish
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

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aerial view of a pitcher of red sangria with fresh fruit on a bright white background

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 wine 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 don’t have Cointreau, you can easily substitute triple sec or any other orange liqueur (or even a different fruity liqueur).

Looking for 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.

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a pitcher of red sangria with fresh fruit on a bright white background

What is sangria?

Sangria is a wine based cocktail that originated in Spain. It’s a very traditional drink that dates back to Roman times.

Since it was introduced to the rest of the world at the World’s Fair in New York in 1964, sangria has become wildly popular with countless variations of the drink made worldwide.

What is sangria made of?

Wine
Alcohol
Sugar
Fruit

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What you’ll need to make this easy sangria recipe:

easy sangria recipe, close up of a pitcher of sangria with fresh fruit on a bright white background

How to make sangria

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.

FAQs & Tips for making red wine sangria

What red wine is good for sangria?

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.

Can you mix wines for sangria?

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.

Does sangria have to sit overnight?

Sangria definitely needs to sit overnight. The longer it sits the more the fruit has time to flavor the wine. You can easily make it up to 2 days in advance without seeing any deterioration in flavor. I wouldn’t go much longer than that though, or you risk the fruit going bad.

Do you serve sangria over ice?

I don’t always use ice cubes for my sangria, but this recipe is best served cold. If you’re serving this on a warm summer day, I’d definitely recommend ice. Bonus points if you make red wine ice cubes to use.

How long can you keep homemade sangria in the refrigerator?

This red sangria recipe should last in the fridge up to 5 days, but that length of time will really depend on the freshness of the fruit you use. Use your best judgement to determine if it’s still good.

More cocktail recipes to love:

This sangria would go really well with: