If there were one perfect summer drink that we had to choose during the summer months, we’d have to choose sangria. It’s fruity, it’ll cool you off on a hot summer day, and it’ll do a pretty good job of getting you buzzed. What more could you ask for?
Almost all of us have tried sangria at some point, but what you may not know is what actually goes into making a pitcher of sangria – and it might actually surprise you.
How to Make Sangria
One thing you should know about sangria before you start is that even though you use wine as the base for the entire drink (red wine, in our case), sangria uses a few shots of something a bit stronger. That ingredients is usually brandy. In fact, this isn’t just a way to make your sangria stronger, it’s actually a common ingredient, although some people like to substitute an orange liqueur instead. It’s really up to you to decide how how you want to make it, but we’re going to choose the more traditional method of using a Spanish brandy.
Start by gathering the following ingredients: a bottle of dry red wine; 1 orange; 1 apple; 1 lemon; 4 ounces of brandy; 2 ounces orange juice; and 2 ounces of simple syrup. Peel and section the orange into small individual sections. Quarter the lemon, and slice the apple into slices. Mix all of the ingredients together, stirring well. Finally – and this part is important – chill the mixture for 4-6 hours before partaking. Once it’s finished, serve the sangria chilled.
If you happen to be out of oranges, you can also use other types of fruit. This will obviously change the end flavor of the sangria, but you can experiment and make some interesting types of sangria this week. Some popular choices for fruit are strawberries and pineapples, but you try the receipt out with your favorite fruits and see how it turns out.
Do you have a favorite tip for how to make sangria? What’s your go-to sangria fruit? Share them with us in the comments!
