Red Sangria Recipe

5 from 56 votes

Posted: 08/08/21 Updated: 12/02/22

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You will be sipping this Red Sangria all summer long! It’s perfectly sweet, fruity and delightful on a hot summer day. The perfect blend of red wine, brandy, orange juice, triple sec plus fruit. It’s perfect for summer parties and having friends over.

PIN IT FOR LATER!

Glass of Red Sangria garnished with a strawberry

Contents show

Easy Sangria Recipe

This perfectly sweet and delicious Easy Sangria recipe is loaded with lemons and strawberries. It’s perfect for a hot summer day! Invite all your friends over and whip up this sangria before they come so you can enjoy it with them!

Sangria is kind of my jam. It seems that it’s your guy’s jam too. You adore this Peach Rose Sangria, Strawberry Limeade Sangria and Blueberry Sangria! Oh, and at Christmas I love to make Red Christmas Sangria!

I’ll admit I’m not real picky when it comes to my sangrias but the first one I ever tried was that Blueberry Sangria and it holds a specially spot in my heart.

But, this might knock it out of it’s #1 spot! It’s seriously the best of all worlds. Slightly sweet, loaded with fruit and refreshing on a long hot summer day!

What is sangria?

Sangria originates from Spain and is an mixed alcoholic drink. There are two different main categories of sangria, either red sangria or white sangria. Red Sangria is made with red wine and white sangria is made with white wine.

In addition to wine, sangria can contain ingredients like fruit juice, sweetener, sparkling water, fruit and flavored liqueurs depending on the variation you are making.

What Kind of Alcohol is in a Red Sangria Recipe?

Essentially it’s a fruity wine with a kick, typically a hard alcohol added to wine and fruit. A lot of time there is a fruity flavored alcohol that is also added.

This is a red sangria so typically a Garnacha (also called Grenache) or Pinot Noir is used. It doesn’t have to be an expensive one because you don’t want the flavors in your wine to overpower everything else in it.

Typically a hard alcohol is added. I used brandy in this recipe for that component. Sometimes a rum, gin or vodka is used.

I also used Triple Sec which is a liquor with an orange flavor!

Red Sangria Ingredients

I usually finish my Sangria off with a little bit of lemon lime soda, but this is totally optional and not required.

Alcohol – Red wine (we recommend Garnacha or Pinot Noir), Brandy (we used E & J Brandy), Triple sec
Orange juice
Sweetner – We used white sugar but you can also use brown sugar if you prefer. This is a taste base ingredient so if you want it sweeter or less sweet adjust to your preference. You could also use maple syrup or honey for a natural alternative.
Fruit – We used strawberries and lemons, but you could also chop up applese, oranges and more!
Bubbles – This is an optional ingredient, but we like the fizz it adds. Just top off your glasses with a light Lemon Lime Soda or sparkling water.

What do you typically put in your sangria?

Wood cutting board with sliced lemons, oranges and strawberries

Hand pouring orange juice into red sangria

How to Make Red Sangria

It’s soooo easy!

First in a large pitcher add wine, brandy, orange juice, triple sec and sugar; stir until combined and sugar is dissolved.
After that add lemons and chopped strawberries, stir. Put in fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
Then add your lemon lime soda before serving. This is optional… it’s great without it too!

Red Wine Sangria Recipe Variations

The fruit is very flexible. You can throw anything from lemons, strawberries, oranges, pineapple, pears and peaches into it depending on what you have in your fridge!
Usually a red wine is used, but you could do white or rosé to mix it up.
If Brandy isn’t your choice of hard liquor you can use cognac, gin etc.
This is perfect for using up leftover fruit you have. Any fresh or frozen fruit is great in it. We prefer citrust, berries, grapes, pineapple etc.

Expert Tips for This Red Wine Sangria Recipe

Mix up at least 30 minutes before serving or up to 8 hours. This helps the flavors meld together.
The best part of making a cocktail at home is you can adjust to your preference. Make sure to taste test this sangria and if you’d like it sweeter add a splash or orange juice or extra sweetener. If you’d like to stronger add more alcohol.
Change it up! The best part of sangria is that the options are endless. You can adjust it with different fruit, top it off with club soda or if you prefer it sweeter add lemon-lime soda.

How long does sangria last?

Sangria is usually best enjoyed within 48 hours of mixing, in fact it’s recommended that you mix it up ahead of time because the longer the fruit sits in the sangria, the more it enhances the flavor.

After mixing store in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. The fruit will go bad before the wine does so keep an eye on the fruit.

Overhead image of pitcher of sangria with strawberries

Sangria Recipe (Red) FAQs

What red wine is best for sangria?

A dry, fruit red wine is the best option for making red sangria. It should have good acidity and low tannins. Recommended red wines include Grenache (Garnacha), Merlot and Tempranillo, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel.

Does sangria need brandy?

This red sangria recipe calls for brandy, but you can make it without it and it will still taste great. If you want to substitute another liqueur great options would be Triple Sec or Grand Marnier.

What nationality is sangria?

Sangria originates from Spain and dates back to 200 B.C. when the Romans began naming the wines and wine-based punches sangria. This drink become popular in Europe more than a century later. The Europeans made it with French Bordeaux as the boozy base.

More Summertime Drink Recipes!

With only three ingredients you’ll be mixing up Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade all summer long! It’s perfect for a non-alcoholic summer drink at parties.
If you love fruity drinks make this easy Spiked Watermelon Lemonade. A frozen lemonade drink that’s so refreshing!
Need more large batch party cocktails? Try Pink Moscato Lemonade. Slightly fruity, sweet and bubbly!
Grab a Mai Tai this summer! It’s a delicious, refreshing Tiki cocktail that’s perfect for sipping on.

MORE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE!

Be sure to give this recipe a try! If you love this recipe as much as we do (pretty sure you will!), be sure to leave a five-star rating below!

Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram either, I’d love to see pictures of your creations! @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats

Meet Julie Evink

I'm here to help you win in the kitchen again! Life is Busy, Life is Crazy, but that doesn't mean you can't make your family dinner! Julie's goal is to provide you with easy, family, friendly recipes that use pantry staples. Dinnertime will be stress free again!