Authentic Spanish Sangria Recipe
Homemade sangria is the ultimate drink for hot summer days. Hosting a party? Impress your guests with this authentic and refreshing Spanish sangria recipe!
Sangria is a traditional Spanish drink made with red wine, liquor, fruit and ice, turning into a refreshing and fruity cocktail, perfect for summer. Since it’s made in a pitcher, it’s also the perfect drink to entertain friends and guests for a dinner party or barbecue.
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Sangria Recipe
- Perfect for parties – It’s easily scalable and it’s a drink that most people love, making it ideal for parties and gatherings.
- Easy to make – You don’t need any fancy cocktail equipment to make Sangria. Just chop, mix, and serve!
- Sweet and Sour – The sourness from the wine and Brandy, mix with the sweetness of the fruit, balancing perfectly for a refreshing and not overly sweet drink.
- Pretty presentation – For special occasions, a nice presentation is also important, and nothing beats a colorful pitcher of Sangria.
- Customizable – Customize this Spanish sangria recipe, with your favorite liquor, or different fruits, for new flavorful twists.
How to Make Sangria
Watch the full video recipe to learn how to make the best Sangria. This step-by-step tutorial simplifies the process, offering tips and tricks to guarantee perfect results every time.
Prefer the written recipe? Scroll down to the recipe box 👇
Ingredient Notes for Authentic Sangria
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Sangria pitcher:
- Oranges: Oranges pair perfectly with Sangria, giving a citrusy sweetness and flavor.
- Apple: Apples are the traditional fruit in Sangria, giving it a subtle sweetness and amazing crunch when you bite into them.
- Lemon: Lemon will give a hint of sour and freshness to balance the flavors.
- Red wine: Spanish Garnacha is the classic option of red wine for traditional Sangria, but you can also use Merlot or Pinot Noir.
- Brandy: Choose your favorite good quality Brandy, or swap with Cognac or orange liqueur like Cointreau or Grand Marnier.
- Honey: Honey is optional, to add some sweetness. You can also use maple syrup or other sweetener of your choice.
- Cinnamon stick: A cinnamon stick will add a subtle spiced flavor that pairs perfectly with wine and fruit.
This is just a short review of the ingredients; for the complete recipe, including quantities, scroll down to the recipe card 👇
What Is the Best Wine for Sangria?
Choosing the right wine is key to making an authentic and delicious sangria recipe. Since sangria originated in Spain, the traditional choice is a Spanish red wine. In fact, if you ask a Spaniard how to make a real sangria, they’ll likely say it must be made with Spanish wine. And while that’s ideal, let’s be honest—you can use any wine you enjoy, because in the end, you’re the one drinking it!
That said, here are some top wine options for the perfect sangria, both traditional and alternative.
Traditional Red Wine for Sangria
The classic sangria recipe cocktail calls for a dry, fruity Spanish red wine. Here are the most popular choices:
- Tempranillo: This is the most traditional and authentic choice. Native to Spain, Tempranillo has notes of cherry, plum, and tomato that pair well with citrus fruits and brandy.
- Garnacha (Grenache): Another popular Spanish grape variety. Garnacha is known for its juicy red berry flavors and subtle spice, making it a great base for fruity sangria.
- Rioja: A wine region in Spain famous for red blends primarily made with Tempranillo and Garnacha. Rioja wines are often aged, adding depth and complexity to sangria.
You can also try popular reds like Merlot, Malbec, Zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, or even a light Pinot Noir. While they’re not traditional Spanish wines, they’re fruity, widely available, and can still make a delicious sangria—especially when balanced with the right fruits and liqueur.
White Wine Sangria (Sangria Blanca)
White wine sangria is a refreshing twist, especially for summer. Use a crisp, dry white wine to balance the sweetness of the fruit and juice:
- Albariño: A Spanish white wine with bright acidity and notes of citrus and stone fruits — ideal for a fresh, light sangria.
- Sauvignon Blanc: Zesty and aromatic, it adds vibrant tropical fruit notes and pairs well with peaches, berries, and citrus.
- Pinot Grigio: Clean, crisp, and neutral, allowing the fruits and added liqueurs to shine
Rosé Sangria
If you love rosé, you’ll enjoy rosé sangria recipe. It’s perfect for spring and early summer with its delicate floral and berry notes. Look for a dry rosé that isn’t too sweet to avoid an overly sugary sangria.
Substitutions and Variations
- White Wine: Make a White Sangria by using white wine. Choose a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, or even Prosecco for a bubbly version.
- Different Fruit: Add more fruits of your choice, like pears, apricots, peaches, pineapple, blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries.
- Different Liquor: While Brandy for Sangria is the traditional option, you can also make Sangria with Cognac, or Cointreau.
- Fizzy: Add a splash of Prosecco, Cava, or even sparkling water to add some bubble to the sangria.
Tips and Tricks for The Best Sangria
- Use good wine – No need to choose a very expensive bottle, but use a good-quality wine for the best and most flavorful result.
- Chill before serving – Chill the sangria in the fridge before serving to improve the flavor and let the fruit soak the liquid.
- Cut fruit into bite-sized pieces – This makes it easier to serve and eat. Plus, it looks prettier in the glass!
- Serve with ice – Especially in summer! It keeps the sangria chilled without diluting the wine too quickly since it’s already flavorful.
Sangria Best Served With
You can serve Sangria with picnic, barbecue, or summer meals. Its fruity flavor pairs well with a variety of dishes, like:
- Spanish dishes like Tortilla de Patatas, Tarta de Santiago, Spanish Churros, or Fried Milk (Spanish Leche Frita)
- Summer Picnic and Barbecue recipes like Grilled Halloumi Salad, Chicken Gyros, Pasta Salad, or Mediterranean Couscous Salad
What Are The Sangria Origins?
Sangria’s origins are in Spain and Portugal, where it has been a traditional drink for centuries. The name “sangria” comes from the Spanish word “sangre,” which means blood, due to its deep red color caused by the red wine.
It has historical roots in the middle ages, where people in the Leonese Kingdom used to drink wine with oranges, lemons, sugar, and spices, also called Leonese Lemonade at that time.
What to Do With Leftover Fruit
If you’re not a fruit eater and don’t know what to do with your leftover apples, and oranges, here are some ideas:
- Use your apples for Apple Pie Bars, Apple Semolina Cake, Apple Hand Pies, or Apple Crumble Muffins
- You can use oranges and lemons for Orange Cake Recipe, Lemon Thumbprint Cookies, Lemon Posset, Creamy Lemon Pasta, or Lemon Ice Cream
- Use a mix of fruit for Fruit Salad or Pavlova
How to Store Homemade Sangria
Store the Sangria in the fridge until ready to serve, up to 3 day. The fruit will absorb the wine and the sugar will increase the alcohol, making it an even more delicious drink. Add some ice for extra refreshing flavor only right before serving.
More Cocktail Recipes
Sangria Recipe | How to Make Sangria
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Oranges
- 1 Apple
- 1 Lemon
- 1 bottle Red wine read notes
- 1/4–1/2 cup (60-120 ml) Brandy optional
- 2-3 tablespoons Honey/maple syrup or other sweetener of your choice (optional)
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- Ice
Instructions
- Cut the fruits and transfer into a large pitcher. Squeeze the juice of one orange and add to the pitcher.
- Add the brandy (optional), the sweetener, cinnamon stick and mix.
- Finally pour the wine. Keep in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.
- Serve sangria over ice and top with orange slices.
Video
Notes
- Watch the Video Recipe – For a better understanding of the recipe, I recommend watching the step-by-step video tutorial.
- Check the FAQs – If you have any questions about ingredient substitutions, tips and serving suggestions, be sure to check the FAQs section located under the recipe card and the post above.
- Use good wine – No need to choose a very expensive bottle, but use a good-quality wine for the best and most flavorful result. Go for dry, fruity reds like Tempranillo, Garnacha, young Rioja or Pinot Noir. Avoid overly sweet, oaky, or tannic wines.
- Chill before serving – Chill the sangria in the fridge before serving to improve the flavor and let the fruit soak the liquid.
- Sweetener: for this sangria recipe, you can use any sweetener that you like. Such as honey, maple syreup, agave, white or brown sugar. You can also omit the sugar.
- Cut fruit into bite-sized pieces – This makes it easier to serve and eat. Plus, it looks prettier in the glass!
- Mocktail – Use alcohol-free wine for an mocktail version.
- Serve with ice – Especially in summer! It keeps the sangria chilled without diluting the wine too quickly since it’s already flavorful.
Nutrition
Common Questions
Traditionally, in Spain they add to sangria a portion of brandy, it adds a nice kick to the cocktail. If you don’t like brandy or you don’t have brandy, you can use instead cognac or even maybe whisky. You can add as much or as little as you like. Usually, it’s recommended to add 1/4 cup for each bottle of wine.
Usually, sangria is made with sugar or honey. But you can play around and add your favorite sweetener or use what you have on hand. Such as: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown sugar or any other sweetener.
The basic version of sangria is: orange, apple and lemon. But you really can add almost any fruit that you like. Some of the most popular fruits in sangria are: pears, apricots, peaches, pineapples, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries.
If you’ll ask a Spanish person how to make a real sangria, he will probably tell you that you must use Spanish wine. But let’s be honest, almost any fruity red wine goes well here. From searches online I found that the wines for sangria are Merlot, pinot noir, Malbec, Garnacha, or a young Rioja and more.
Absolutely delicious!!! I think EVERYONE should make Sangria. The store bought retail versions do not compare to homemade. As this is with most anything, right? Thanks for sharing!