Saucy Sangria for Summer
By Kelly Jameson Photography by Marty Snortum Studio

There’s nothing quite like enjoying a warm summer evening with a cool beverage in your hand. This summer, sangria is earning a place on everyone’s patio for its sweet-tart flavor.

You can thank our friends in Spain for this fruity concoction, which starts with a good wine base. Whether carbonated or not, sangria is traditionally polished off with plenty of fresh fruit slices. Aside from a good wine base and fruit, sangria calls for a sweetener, such as honey or sugar and a small amount of added brandy, dark rum or other liqueurs. The following recipes will satisfy anyone’s appetite for any color sangria: red, white (sangria blanco) or blush. Be forewarned, however, that these drinks pack a hard and sneaky punch, and are not for amateurs. Serve your sangria in a punchbowl for parties, or in a clear pitcher for small gatherings. Its presentation will be as impressive as its pleasantly pucker-inducing taste.

Sunset Sangria
Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray
as seen on Food Network
3 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp (4 splashes) spiced dark rum
3 tbsp orange liqueur
1 navel orange, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
3 ripe peaches, cut into wedges
3 ripe plums, cut into wedges
2 cinnamon sticks
1 bottle Rioja*
Sparkling soda water, for topping off
glasses of sangria at table

Combine sugar, rum, orange liqueur, fruits and cinnamon sticks in large pitcher. Cover with 1 bottle of wine and chill for several hours. To serve, spoon fruits into glasses or goblets and pour spiced wine over the fruit. Top off glasses of sangria with a splash of soda water. Tip: it only takes about 5 to 10 minutes to assemble this recipe in the pitcher. Make it in the morning to give the fruit time to soak in the wine. Serve well chilled. * Rioja is a great Spanish wine that is recommended for this recipe, but any red wine will do.

Sangria Blanco
Recipe adapted from David Lieberman
as seen on Food Network
2 (750 ml) bottles white wine, chilled
1 cup brandy
2 navel oranges, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
1 pear, sliced
1 lime, sliced
1/4 cup superfine sugar

Pour the wine and brandy over the fruit and sugar in a large serving bowl. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Stick a ladle in the sangria so people can serve themselves and have a full bucket of ice next to the bowl.

Blush Sangria
Recipe adapted from Fred Goslin as seen in
The Great American Favorite Brand Name
Cookbook (Publisher’s Intl. 1996)
1/2 cup sugar
1 bottle (750 ml) white Zinfandel wine
1/4 cup lime juice
1 orange, thinly sliced seeded
1 cup, thinly sliced strawberries
1 lime, thinly sliced and seeded

Combine the orange juice and sugar in a small pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Pour into a 2 quart container with a tight-fitting lid. Add fruit and wine to mixture and seal, chilling for at least two hours. Serve over ice.