How to Make Sangria

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By Jillian Downer
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Sangria

Sangria is a traditional Spanish cocktail that can be found at most, if not all, Spanish parties or fiestas. Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as "traditional" or "authentic" sangria. There is no trick or secret ingredient. Making sangria isn't an exact science, and because of differing taste buds in people, families and generations, sangria can be made in an array of varieties and with multiple ingredients. Sangria is a party drink designed to get you and your guests drunk very cheaply. It's sort of the Spanish version of Jungle Juice--a popular drink concoction made with grain alcohol on many college campuses. However, there are a few basic steps and ingredients that should be used when making sangria at home, and here's our favorite recipe.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

A bottle of cheap red wine
Lemonade
8 oz. of liquor (preferably brandy, whiskey or cointreau)
Peach
Apple
Orange
Grapes
5 oz. of sugar (or to taste)
Cinnamon

Step 1

When choosing a wine, you can buy pretty much the cheapest you can find, but we'd recommend that you buy a Spanish wine. You're going to add so much other stuff that spending a lot would just be silly.
Step 2

Chop all of the fruit and soak it in the liquor of your choice. Place the jug or bowl in the fridge overnight.
Feel free to add other fruits as you like. Kiwi and lemons, for example, are both very popular.
Step 3

Pour the wine, liquor and fruit into a punch bowl and add lots of ice.
Step 4

Now add the lemonade to taste. Some people put equal parts lemonade and wine, while others like their sangria to be slightly wine-heavy.
Step 5

Add half of the sugar and a light sprinkle of cinnamon. Now taste it. If it doesn't taste sweet enough, add more sugar until it's just right.
Step 6

Add more ice and serve.

Tips & Warnings

No quantities are exact. There is no science to making sangria. Everyone's taste buds are different, so just play with the recipe until it's perfect for you.
Put an extra bottle of wine and lemonade on the table so that people can make their sangria stronger or lighter according to their preference.
Add most of the ice before you add the sugar and lemonade. This will give you a more accurate read of the taste. If you add ice at the end, the flavor you were adjusting will change with the additional water.