Recipe: Summer Sangria, Two Ways

I discovered something very important while living in New York: I like white wine sangrias a lot more than I like red wine sangrias. Don’t get me wrong, red wine sangria can be good, it’s just that in the summer time, on a warm night out on a patio with friends, there’s nothing like sharing a pitcher (or two) of crisp, cold, white wine sangria. Or, its even better cousin, the rosé sangria!

There are two ways that I make summer sangrias. One is the quick and dirty way, which I learned from Hitha a few Fourth of Julys ago. The best part about the easy way is that if you have a bottle of white or rosé in the fridge, and some frozen fruit in your freezer, you can make this in about 2 minutes (maybe less). Throw fruit into pitcher. Add wine. Stir and serve. I like this method when I’m in a rush because it still tastes good, and the frozen fruit helps keep the wine icy cold. When it melts and softens, it’s the best treat.

The fancy way (and here, I use the term fancy loosely) relies on fresh fruit, and some secret ingredients to give the sangria a little more oomph. This time of year, I love using all the beautiful stone fruit available at the market — in my rosé sangria below, I was happy to chop up fresh peaches, apricots, and plums for the mix.

What to do with all the wine-soaked fruit once the sangria is gone? Well, you can eat it, of course. But for a sweet treat, try using it as a condiment over vanilla ice cream or greek yogurt. It’d make a perfect dessert for your summer evening.

Here are my recipes for summer sangrias, two ways (easy vs. fancy!): 

Summer Sangria, Two Ways

Before you dive in...
The nice thing about these recipes is that they certainly don’t have to be exact. If you have strawberries or nectarines lying around, use those! Or, if you saw a berry or tropical frozen fruit blend at your grocery store, give that a try. You really just want to select fruit that will highlight the fruity, tropical notes in the wine.

As for selecting wines, I like to stick with dry, crisp whites and dry rosés. A great bet for whites are Sauvignon Blancs, Pinot Grigios, or even a Chenin Blanc. I don’t usually use any Chardonnay, unless it’s an unoaked Chardonnay (and therefore won’t be as oaky and vanilla-y). And it certainly doesn’t have to be expensive! With rosés, definitely don’t worry about getting an expensive one — though I typically like very pale rosés for summer sangria.

Easy Summer Sangria

1.5 cups frozen peach slices (about 3/4 of a bag)
1/2 cup frozen cherries
1/2 cup diced mango
1 750-mL bottle of chilled Sauvignon Blanc

Add all the fruit to a pitcher. Pour in the wine, stir, and serve. I told you it was easy!

“Fancy” Summer Sangria
1 large white or yellow peach, washed, seeded and cubed
2 small to medium plums, washed, seeded, and cubed
2 small to medium apricots, washed, seeded, and cubed
1/4-1/2 cup fresh raspberries, washed
1 750-mL bottle of chilled rosé
3 tbsp vodka
3 tbsp triple sec
— ice cubes or crushed ice

Add all the fruit to a pitcher. Pour the wine in, then add the vodka and triple sec. Gently stir (you don’t want to break up the raspberries too much). If needed, chill before serving for half an hour before serving to make sure it’s icy cold. Serve, over ice if desired.

Enjoy!

Special thanks to Joe who made a rare blog appearance as the tray holder.