Sangría, a wine-based cocktail spiked with fruit juice and brandy, and topped with seltzer water, is a summer mainstay for a reason. Just like the warmest season, it's low-maintenance and high-reward: light and refreshing, easy to mix up by the pitcher, and excellent at using up scraps (overripe strawberries here, half an apple there).
The effervescent drink is also relatively low-alcohol, so you can sip any of our recipes all afternoon. (Because a big part of enjoying sangría is being transported to some Mediterranean terrace.) But you don’t need an inexpensive bottle of wine to find your place in the sun. Use those half-finished bottles from the night before and liven them up with summer fruits, sweet liqueurs like St. Germaine or Grand Marnier, and even grilled citrus. Like any good party, sangría is up for anything. And to keep the good times rolling, fix up a plate of barbecue filled with all of the grill essentials.
This recipe starts with a base of light and fruity garnacha wine, which is then spiked with Spanish brandy and Bonanto, a bitter, white-wine-based aperitif flavored with 30 Mediterranean botanicals, sweet cherry, and orange peel. A few drops of store-bought balsamic reduction and a splash of cinnamon syrup enhances the sweetness, body, and complexity of the iced cocktail. Get the recipe >
Choose a high-acid, no-oak sauvignon blanc or similar white for this sophisticated version of the party wine drink from bartender Jon Santer of Prizefighter in Emeryville, California. Get the recipe >
For his riff on the classic Spanish wine-based drink, Jon Santer of Prizefighter in Emeryville, California, layers on more fruity flavors with French apéritif Lillet Rouge and the orange cognac-based liqueur Grand Marnier. Get the recipe »
This sweet-tart wine punch was invented by members of the Junior League of Houston book club in the 1970s featuring a citrus forward base with ginger ale. Get the recipe >
Everyone should have a house spritz, whose proportions are known by heart and ingredients are stocked easily, like this one from Talia Baiocchi and Leslie Pariseau of PUNCH. Get the recipe >
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