For quite some time, whenever I found myself in the mood to make Sangria I would head straight towards Google in hopes of finding a recipe that would make my friends weak at the knees (in a non-paralytic fashion).
The ‘Best’ Sangria, according to Google, comes down to everything from purees, to shots of cava, to herbs, to multiple types of wine combined in a single jug. Ick.
I just want something easy, amazing, and – after quite some time testing out different theories – I’ve figured out the secret.
The wine. It seems obvious, but the right selection of a medium-bodied and floral bottle is the key difference between drinkable and delicious. So far, a (very cheap!) bottle of Pagos Del Rey Rioja Castillo Albai 2012 has been my most well-received experiment. The cherry red vino is intensely fruity but very fresh, dense, and naturally spicy (hooray for the Tempranillo grape!).
So, what makes it amazing after the wine?
Oranges. Just oranges. Choose the freshest, largest orange you can get your hands on, cut it, squeeze the juice into the wine, pop the full rinds in, then chill the jug in the fridge for as long as you can.
The acidity, tannins, and sweetness pair together perfectly to make the easiest Sangria around. At most, I would garnish with a bit of mint or berries, but there is absolutely no more flavour required.
(For a lower cal version, topping it up with 1/3 glass of Sodastream Free From Lemonade has gone down really well!)
