Sangria-red/white Recipe

Prepare fruit

Wash all fruit. Thinly slice the orange and lemon (and lime if using). Core the apple and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Halve or slice larger berries or peaches so pieces are bite-sized.

Combine wine and fruit

In a large pitcher or nonreactive bowl (at least 2-quart capacity), pour 1.5 liters of your chosen wine (red or white). Add the sliced orange, lemon, lime (if using), diced apple, and berries or peaches. Stir gently to submerge fruit.

Cover the pitcher and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally 6–12 hours (or overnight). This allows the wine to extract flavor and color from the fruit. For red sangria, a longer maceration (8–12 hours) helps meld flavors; white sangria benefits from a shorter maceration (4–6 hours) to keep fruit fresh.

Add liqueur and brandy

After the initial maceration period, pour 1/4 cup orange liqueur (Cointreau or triple sec) and 1/4 cup brandy into the pitcher. Stir to combine so the liqueur blends with the infused wine.

Sweeten to taste

Add 3 tablespoons simple syrup (or honey syrup) and stir. Taste the sangria and adjust sweetness as desired, adding up to 2 additional tablespoons of syrup if you prefer it sweeter. For white sangria, sweeter mixers (like lemon-lime soda later) may require less added sugar.

For red sangria, optionally sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon into the mixture and stir to incorporate—this adds warm spice notes that complement red fruit.

Chill and add carbonation

When ready to serve, add 2 cups chilled club soda or sparkling water (or lemon-lime soda for a sweeter white version) to the pitcher. Stir gently to combine so you don't flatten the bubbles. If you've refrigerated overnight, allow the sangria to sit 5–10 minutes after adding the soda so flavors re-equilibrate.

Prepare glasses

Fill serving glasses with ice (about 1/2 to 1 cup ice per glass, depending on glass size). Place a few pieces of the macerated fruit into each glass.

Pour sangria over ice and fruit, distributing liquid and fruit evenly. Garnish each glass with a fresh mint sprig (optional). Serve immediately.

Leftover storage: keep any uneaten sangria refrigerated without soda for up to 2–3 days (the fruit will continue to infuse and may become softer). If you anticipate leftovers, store the base sangria (wine + fruit + liqueur + sweetener) separately from soda and ice; add soda just before serving to keep bubbles lively.