I love the idea of relaxing at one of Back Bay’s outdoor restaurants with a glass of sangria in my hand. Unfortunately, most restaurants in the area charge around $8 per glass. I don’t know about you, but stopping after just one glass of sangria is a difficult task for me. I also don’t want to spend my weekly grocery budget just to fill my sangria quota. So, the next best thing is to have a group of friends pitch in some money to make a batch of sangria to enjoy at home.
For those of you that have not had sangria, it is a “wine punch” that originated in Spain. In the US, its popularity seems to soar in the spring and summer seasons. It is very simple to make, and the best part is you don’t need to use expensive wine and you can be as creative as you want when making it!
I chose to use a pinot noir because they are typically on the lighter side of red wine with berry undertones. You can use any type you like, but for this recipe I would stick with red wine.
You will need:
1 bottle red wine (375 mL)
1 lemon
1 lime
1 orange
1 cup strawberries
1/2 cup triple sec
1/2 cup orange juice
1 (24 oz) bottle of lemon lime pop, as needed (I used Sprite)
1. Begin by washing all of the fruit, including the lemon, lime and orange.
2. Thinly slice the lemon, lime and orange. Chop off the stems and then slice the strawberries. Toss all the chopped fruit into a pitcher or large bowl.
3. Add the triple sec, orange juice and wine. Stir everything around, mashing the fruit with the back of a spoon to get the juices going.
4. Cover the sangria and chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
5. Serve chilled over ice and top off each glass with the lemon lime pop.
6. Sip your budget-friendly sangria and dream of summer—we’re almost there!
To make sangria for a crowd, this recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, or even multiplied by ten!
