Simple sangria recipes for summer

For a delicious, light summery drink, try an ice cold glass of sangria. This cool combination of fresh summer fruits and red, white, rose or sparkling wine, is the ultimate adult summer beverage! Sangria is the perfect thirst-quenching drink for any backyard party of picnic. Here are three delicious sangria recipes to help you chill out in the summer heat!

Pick the ‘Right’ Fruit for your Sangria

You can use almost any summer fruit to make the perfect sangria. If the weather is cooling, there are also some wonderful winter fruits you can use to make a tasty winter sangria.

Some of the fruits that work best are peaches, oranges, lemons, berries, apricots and even grapes and cherries. Apples and pears are great alternatives for fall while mango and pineapples are perfect for adding a tasty tropical twist to sweet, summer sangria.

Whatever fruits are in season work best for this sweet concoction, because, as a rule, you want to use juicier fruits — this way the juices release into the sangria and the fruit soaks up the flavour of the wine.

Once the fruit is soaked, you can keep it in the sangria for garnish or strain out and enjoy eating it as a delicious dessert.

Add Wine, Spirits and Bubbly

Although red wine is the traditional choice for sangria, any wine can be substituted. So if you prefer white wine or even rose try experimenting with those. Champagne or sparkling wine is also a great alternative if you want to take your sangria to an elegant level.

Brandy or Triple Sec is often added to sangria to add a bit more flavour. To give your sangria a bubbly bite, you can top it off with ginger ale, seltzer or club soda.

Red wine sangria

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle light- or medium-bodied red wine
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp (one ounce) brandy
• 1 orange, thinly sliced (with skin on)
• 1/2 pint large blackberries
• 1/2 pint fresh cherries
• 4 to 5 cinnamon sticks
• 1 cup club soda

Directions:

1. Combine wine, sugar and brandy in a large pitcher and stir well to dissolve sugar.
2. Add fruit and cinnamon sticks to the pitcher, stir and let soak in refrigerator for at least one hour or overnight.
3. When ready to serve, serve ice cold topped with club soda.

White wine sangria

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves plus more to garnish
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 24 ounces peach nectar
• 1/4 cup peach flavoured brandy
• 1 bottle chilled dry white wine
• 1 large peach, diced

Directions:

1. Muddle basil leaves with sugar in a small pot. Add half the peach nectar and bring to a simmer. Stir and simmer until sugar is dissolved. Remove pot from heat and let sit until cool.
2. Strain mixture through a fine colander into a pitcher. Add brandy, wine, peach and peach nectar. Stir well and let soak in refrigerator for at least one hour or overnight. When ready to serve, garnish with extra basil leaves.

Sparkling sangria

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup orange flavoured liqueur
• 16 strawberries, sliced
• 1/2 pint blackberries
• 1 pint raspberries
• 1 bottle Champagne or sparkling wine, chilled
• A few handfuls of seedless grapes

Directions:

1. Combine orange liqueur, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries in a pitcher.
2. Pour champagne into pitcher and stir well. Add grapes and serve right away.

For a couple more mouth-watering Sangria Recipes, Check out:

• Super sangria tips
• Sake Sangria