It’s already February, can you believe it?! And the (un)official color of the month is red for LOVE. And the best way to surprise your honey and celebrate your love for each other? Definitely this super easy sangria recipe. I know, sangria seems scary and tough (or maybe that’s just me?), but you will be amazed with how easy and delicious it really is!
I put off making sangria for the longest time because I knew it had to sit for a while, and it can be so hard to plan ahead. Typically, I’ll only open a bottle of wine if we are going to have guests over, otherwise it’ll take me two weeks to finish (unless, of course, it’s been a rough week).
The issue is that we generally don’t know we are going to have guests over until, oh, 2 hours before. Just enough time to throw something for dinner together! But definitely not enough time to plan for sangria.
However, I had a friend in town the other day and wanted to have a fun night, so we went to a little produce stand in Avila on the way home from the beach (80+ degrees in January… rough) and bought some fruit for this sangria recipe.
I threw it together with just enough time before dinner and let it cool and soak in the fridge until it was time. I’m not sure about everyone else, but I loved it, and I was STOKED I took the time to make it.
The best part was that I still had about half of it left, so I tried some the next night (and the next night!) and it kept getting better. After day three it lost some of its luster, so I’d recommend drinking it up within 48 hours.
Use your favorite red wine you enjoy drinking! I particularly love merlot wine, which worked beautifully here.
This is the first Valentine’s day themed recipe I’ve made yet, and I hope there are more to come.
Super Easy Homemade Sangria Cocktail
- Total Time: 9 hours
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
A delicious easy sangria recipe. Strawberries, apples, and lime mixed with red wine and a bit of maple syrup make this the perfect blend. Perfect for a party!
Ingredients
- 2 small tart apples
- 1/2 pint strawberries
- 1/2 pint blackberries
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1 lime
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 750mL bottle red wine
- 1/3–1/2 cup maple syrup
- 3–4 cups bubbly water
Instructions
- Rinse all the fruit. Core the apple, then cut into very thin (1/8″) wedges. Chop the strawberries into 1/2″ pieces, and slice the line cross-wise into thin (1/8″) wedges. Combine all the fruit in a pitcher.
- Add the orange juice and 1/3 cup maple syrup, then pour the wine over top. Use a wooden spoon to mix everything up – it’s okay if it gets mashed up a bit.
- Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours minimum, preferably overnight. Taste for sweetness, and add more maple syrup if needed.
- When serving, mix equal volumes of wine and bubbly water, then add some of the fruit and a couple ice cubes. If serving it all at once, add 3-4 cups of bubbly water to the pitcher, mix to distribute, and serve immediately.
Notes
Do you love apples in your mixed drinks and cocktails? If so, check out our ideas on adding more of them to your boozy concoctions.
- Prep Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Did you make and love this as much as we did? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and please rate the recipe! And be sure to serve this delicious cocktail in the best glassware possible, using the best types of wine opener to get the job done well!
And if you love cocktail recipes, keep your kitchen stocked with ingredients for these recipes that will tantalize the tongue:
- Cherry Cola Beer Punch
- Frozen Watermelon Daiquiris
- Fresh Blackberry and Lemon Cocktails
- Espresso Martinis
Photos by Raquel Smith, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on February 5th, 2015. Last updated: August 26, 2023 at 16:15 pm. With additional writing and editing by Nikki Cervone.
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Raquel Smith
Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).
YUM – I love how easy and simple it looks to make this sangria. (And I love how you reused old jars to make it!) Can’t wait to subscribe and check out your new e-book!
Thanks, Steph! I seriously use old mason jars for everything! They are so great. Let me know what you think of the new eBook – any feedback is super appreciated!