This tasty, crowd-pleasing red sangria cocktail is lighter, fruitier, and spicier than traditional red wine. It’s my go-to on Thanksgiving and Christmas because it can be in just 5 minutes and everyone loves it! It works especially well during summer, fall, and winter.
5-Minute Red Sangria For a Crowd
- Can be made vegan with vegan wine. (Check Barnivore for some vegan options.)
- Yield: 16
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
- One 3L box of red sangria wine (or 4 750 mL bottles of red sangria wine)
- 3-4 oranges
- 3-4 red apples
- 4-5 cinnamon sticks (plus more for garnishing glasses)
- Generous amount of ice
Instructions
- Pour the wine over a generous amount of ice in a pitcher or drink/dispenser.
- Chop the apples and oranges and add them to the pitcher or drink dispenser. Stir with a wooden spoon to mix the fruit in well.
- Add the cinnamon sticks and stir again to mix everything well.
- Serve over ice with a cinnamon stick garnish and enjoy!
Tips
Don’t skip the cinnamon sticks. They bring out much more flavor in the fruit and wine quickly.
While Tempranillo and Garnacha are traditionally used to make red sangria, don’t scoff at my suggestion to instead use bulk “red sangria” wine as “cheap wine” just yet! Sangria is meant to be light, fruity, and juicy. Bulk wine labeled as sangria already tastes as if you had marinated fruit in it for 24-48 hours, saving you tons of time and effort.
Sangria tastes best with ice. I mix it in a pitcher or drink dispenser with ice and serve it over ice.
Sangria can last 3-5 days in total, depending on the fruit. If the fruit is starting to appear mushy, it’s time to discard the sangria.
Why You’ll Love This Red Sangria
It only takes 5 minutes to make, yet still offers the deep flavors of traditional sangria, which can be a time-consuming pain to make. Traditionally, sangria should “sit” for a long period of time (up to a few days) to get the most flavor from the ingredients.
It’s a crowd-pleaser. My family has requested this red sangria at holiday parties for over five years now and, truly, everyone likes it, from the casual drinkers to the wine aficionados. It’s neither too light nor too strong, and it has great flavor for minimal effort.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sangria, which means “blood,” is a Spanish cocktail, which traditionally consisted of red wine and chopped fruit, often with other ingredients, like sugar or spirits, like brandy or triple sec. However, I have also had white sangria and rose sangria. The trick is pairing the type of wine with complementary fruits. (Source 1, Source 2)
Sangria is a sweet, spicy, and fruity iced wine drink. It tastes like cold fruit juice with added fruit and herbaceous seasonings.
Traditionally, Spanish red wines that are more fruity and have fewer tannins make for the best sangria. Tempranillo and Garnacha generally work well. There’s no need to get anything expensive, as the wine will become overpowered by the fruit flavors anyway. You can also buy wine that is labeled as sangria.
Not necessarily. If you use wine labeled as sangria wine, it does not have to sit overnight to embody intense fruit flavors. Otherwise, it will taste better if it sits overnight.
SHOP THE RECIPE
How was the bingo game to be used with only 1 card?
Hello, my intention for the bingo cards is to foster discussion. Book club members can cross off a term when they speak it.