The main flavour of this sangria is lemony derived either from store-bought lemonade or freshly squeezed lemon juice.
The base is white wine, which provides a lighter and fruitier flavour compared to red wine.
You have several options when it comes to the liquor. Vodka, rum or tequila will work just fine.
To complement the lemonade, we’ll add some lemon slices to the cocktail. You can also add a few strawberries or blackberries to give the drink a tasty tropical feel and balance out the acid in the lemon juice.
What You’ll Need
Here’s a summary of all the ingredients.
- 1 bottle of white wine (young and semi-dry)
- 4 cups lemonade (alternatively, squeeze fresh juice from 6 lemons)
- 1 lemon sliced
- Sweetener (1/2 cup simple syrup or 3/4 cup sugar)
- 1 cup vodka (you can also use tequila or rum)
- 3 cups sparkling water or a can of soda
White Wine
Traditional sangria recipes call for red wine. But I personally prefer using white wine.
It has a fruitier test and gives the drink a lighter feel that is perfect for brunch, hot afternoons and birthday parties.
When choosing white wine, look for one that is young. Don’t use oaked or aged wine as it tastes bitter when chilled (sangria is served chilled).
To make sure the lemonade doesn’t make the sangria too sour, look for a white wine that is more on the sweet and fruity side. This will balance out the acidity from the lemons.
Some good options include Moscato, Riesling and Torrontés.
They are sweet but not too cloying.
If you want to sweeten your sangria even more, add a sweetener like sugar, honey or syrup.
Liquor & Sparkling Water
Liquor gives the sangria a nice kick, putting everyone at the party in a heady mood. You can use rum, vodka or gin. You can also use flavoured liquor such as Grand Marnier or Cîroc Pineapple vodka.
The alcohol content and amount of liquor you add depends on how much of a kick you want. But ½ cup to 1 cup should do.
In addition to the liquor, also add about 3 cups of sparkling water or a can of soda to give the sangria a fizzy bubbly taste.
Fruits & Lemonade
Sparkling lemonade sangria can be as simple or as rich as you want it to be.
The simple option involves using just lemons.
Most people prefer using store-bought lemonade and then adding a few slices of lemons for garnishing. You can use your own homemade lemonade or just squeeze juice from 6 lemons straight into the pitcher.
With either option, add a few slices of lemon to the mix. You can also add a couple slices of lime.
If you want a richer flavour, feel free to add a few more fruits. Strawberries go really well with lemonade sangria. They add a nice citrus and sweet flavour.
You can also use blackberries.
Sweetener
Some sangria recipes are sweet enough on their own without adding sugar, honey or syrup.
With a lemonade sangria, you’ll most likely need the extra sweetness. The lemonade can be quite sour.
A 3/4 cup of sugar or 1/2 cup of simple syrup or honey will do. You can change the amount of sweetener depending on how sweet you want the sangria to be.
Preparation and Serving
Mix all the ingredients together in a pitcher. If you are using strawberries, dice them first. You can also add some basil or mint for a fresh herb flavour. Put all the unused ingredients into the kitchen bin to keep the kitchen nice and tidy.
You need to let the sangria lest for 1-2 hours. Leave it for an hour longer if you’ve added strawberries. You can also prepare it the night before and leave it to rest overnight.
Keep the pitcher in the fridge until it is time to serve.
Chilled sangria is best served with no ice. The ice cubes tend to water down the flavours. But have the ice on hand for any guest who prefers theirs with ice.
If you use ice, I recommend clear gourmet ice cubes. Check if the local store has them or buy a clear ice maker for your kitchen.
These ice cubes are transparent and harder than normal ice cubes. So they melt much slower which means they don’t water down drinks.
