Medium · long
Sangria
Red wine, citrus, a little brandy and a bowl of fruit, made the day before. The big-party drink that improves overnight.
- Pour
- 200 ml
- Strength
- Medium
- Best for
- Big parties, Garden parties
- Season
- Summer
- Fizz
- Added at the door
- Ahead
- Jug ahead, top at the door
The welcome pour
One glass, 200 ml
Tumbler or wine glass over ice, with fruit. Garnish: orange and apple from the jug.
The spec, according to Spanish Sabores: a traditional sangria for six is a bottle and a half of young red wine with two oranges, a lemon, a cinnamon stick, a little sugar syrup, chopped apple, a splash of brandy, and soda added only when serving. It rests at least two hours, preferably overnight, and keeps two days. We scale that down to a welcome pour of 170 ml from the jug plus a splash of soda.
| Ingredient | Per glass | When |
|---|---|---|
| Young red wine (a fruity tempranillo or garnacha) | 125 ml (4 fl oz) | in the jug |
| Fresh orange juice | 20 ml (0.5 fl oz) | in the jug |
| Fresh lemon juice | 5 ml (0 fl oz) | in the jug |
| Brandy | 10 ml (0.5 fl oz) | in the jug |
| Sugar syrup (1:1) | 10 ml (0.5 fl oz) | in the jug |
| Soda water | 30 ml (1 fl oz) | at the door |
| Orange, sliced (whole oranges) | 0.25 | in the jug |
| Apple, chopped (whole apples) | 0.17 | in the jug |
The jug
How much for your party
One welcome drink per guest plus a 15% spare. Sparkling wine and soda are counted here but stay in the fridge until the door.
| Ingredient | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Young red wine (a fruity tempranillo or garnacha) 3 × 750 ml bottles | 1.8 L 7.5 cups | in the jug |
| Fresh orange juice | 280 ml 9.5 fl oz | in the jug |
| Fresh lemon juice | 70 ml 2.5 fl oz | in the jug |
| Brandy 1 × 700 ml bottle (750 ml in the US) | 140 ml 4.5 fl oz | in the jug |
| Sugar syrup (1:1) | 140 ml 4.5 fl oz | in the jug |
| Soda water 1 × 1 L bottle | 420 ml 14 fl oz | at the door |
| Orange, sliced (whole oranges) | 4 | in the jug |
| Apple, chopped (whole apples) | 3 | in the jug |
| The jug holds 2.4 L (10 cups), which is 2 1.5-litre jugs filled to 85%. Added per glass at the door: 420 ml in all. | ||
Make it
In the jug, then at the door
Ahead. Everything except the soda goes in the jug the night before: wine, juices, brandy, syrup, sliced oranges, chopped apple and a cinnamon stick for every six glasses. Cover and refrigerate.
At the door. Ice in the glass, 170 ml from the jug with a spoon of the fruit, a 30 ml splash of soda.
Keeps. Two days in the fridge. The fruit softens after that.
- Choose a cheap, fruity red with soft tannins; sangria is not the place for an expensive bottle.
- The night before: wine, orange juice, lemon juice, brandy and syrup into a large jug or bowl. Add the sliced oranges, the chopped apple and the cinnamon.
- Taste in the morning. More syrup if the wine was tart, more lemon if the oranges were sweet.
- Chill the soda. Put out a spoon for the fruit.
- At the door: ice, sangria and fruit, splash of soda.
The alcohol-free twin
Alcohol-free sangria
Spanish Sabores makes the alcohol-free version on red grape juice and water with the same fruit, topped with sparkling water at the table. We scale it to a similar pour so both jugs sit side by side.
Grape juice, water, citrus and fruit in a jug overnight, like the original. Ice, 100 ml from the jug with fruit, top with sparkling water.
Reference: spanishsabores.com
| Ingredient | Per glass | When |
|---|---|---|
| Red grape juice | 40 ml (1.5 fl oz) | in the jug |
| Water | 40 ml (1.5 fl oz) | in the jug |
| Fresh orange juice | 15 ml (0.5 fl oz) | in the jug |
| Fresh lemon juice | 5 ml (0 fl oz) | in the jug |
| Sparkling water | 50 ml (1.5 fl oz) | at the door |
| Orange, sliced (whole oranges) | 0.25 | in the jug |
| Apple, chopped (whole apples) | 0.17 | in the jug |
Why it works at the door
Sangria, in three paragraphs
Sangria is the only drink on this site that is better the day after you make it, which makes it the best friend a host of forty has. The fruit gives up its juice overnight, the brandy softens, and by the time guests arrive the jug tastes like a decision rather than a mixture.
It is a party drink, not a dinner drink: sweet, fruity, easy to drink too fast. Pour it small, 170 ml from the jug over plenty of ice with a spoon of fruit, and put the soda in at the glass so every serve has a little lift. A splash of soda in the jug goes flat within the hour.
The classic is red. A white or rosé sangria follows the same method with a dry white wine, peaches and lemon, and for a summer wedding the pale version looks better on the tray. The maths is identical.
Questions hosts ask
How far ahead should I make sangria?
The night before is ideal, and two hours is the minimum, according to the traditional recipe we follow. It keeps two days in the fridge.
How much wine for 30 guests?
At 125 ml of wine a glass plus a 15% spare, about 4.3 litres, which is six 750 ml bottles. Cheap, young and fruity is the rule.
Why add the soda at the glass?
Soda in the jug goes flat, especially once the jug is opened and stirred. A 40 ml splash on top of each glass keeps the fizz where you taste it.
Next to it on the tray