How to Make Your Own Sangria: Recipe and Tips Included

Start with our easy sangria recipe below, then try all sorts of fruit and flavor combinations to make it your own. (See what secret cocktail ingredients bartenders swear by.) Keep tweaking until it’s the best homemade sangria ever!

Easy Sangria Recipe with Brandy

Use this basic recipe to get the party started.

Ingredients

• 1 bottle red wine
• 1 cup brandy, rum or sweet orange liqueur
• Sliced fruit
• Sugar, to taste
• Ice

Instructions

In a pitcher, stir in one bottle of red wine, one cup of brandy, rum or orange liqueur and sliced fruit along with a few teaspoons of sugar if you like it sweet.

Chill for 2-3 hours or overnight. Add two cups of cold sparkling soda and ice and serve.

6 Quick Tips for Your Homemade Sangria

Here’s what to keep in mind while you experiment with sangria:

• Best wines for sangria: Zinfandel, lambrusco, shiraz, rioja and sangiovese. You can most definitely substitute white wine for red.
• Best fruits: Citrus (lemons, limes, oranges), stone fruit (peaches, nectarines, cherries, plums) and tropical fruit (pineapple, mango).
• Stick with fruits that won’t get mushy. If you want to use melon balls, berries or apples, add them just before serving.
• Add cold sparkling soda just before serving to maintain the fizz.
• Save the ice until just before serving to avoid diluting your drink.
• Like it sweet? Add sugar to taste until dissolved to make yours into a sweet red sangria recipe.