17 Additions Your Sangria Needs This Summer

When it comes to refreshing summer drinks, few are as popular as sangria. This drink of Spanish origins, whose name translates to "bleeding," evolved as a solution to make water safe and palatable to drink. It has since traveled outside of the country and morphed into various permutations, each taking advantage of local flavors, ingredients, and sensibilities.

Whether you are making a classic red sangria or a lighter white one, the basic recipe for this potable is relatively consistent. A quality bottle of wine is augmented with chunks of fresh fruit, spices, sweetener, soda water, and a complimentary spirit, typically brandy, or cordial, like Grand Marnier. These are allowed to marinate until the fruit has absorbed all of the flavors and is served well-chilled over ice.

As a chef, I am always looking for ways to reimagine classic recipes, and sangria is no exception to this rule. I have tried and tested a number of different additions that have been more or less successful in this endeavor. Here are the ones that really hit it out of the park and that your sangria needs this summer.

When it comes to adding flavor and visual appeal, fresh herbs are the secret weapon you need to level up sangria. When considering the types of herbs to incorporate, it can be helpful to divide them by type: soft and hard. Soft herbs tend to have more delicate, pliable leaves, while hard ones are more durable and firm. Softer herbs, which include basil, cilantro, and mint, are often milder in flavor, while hard herbs, including rosemary and thyme, are generally more pungent.

Though hard herbs are typically more effective when paired with bolder, drier, red wines, they can also play well off of acidic, dry whites, like a sauvignon blanc or a pinot grigio. By contrast, soft herbs tend to be more well-suited to sweeter, white wines, like moscato or riesling, yet can be incorporated into red sangria made from a less intense red wine, like a lambrusco.

When it comes to cucumbers, dishes like gazpacho, tzatziki, or pickles may come to mind, but they can be equally as effective in beverages, especially sangria. What makes the cucumber such a powerhouse ingredient in recipes is its ability to absorb the flavors it is surrounded by. The crisp texture and relatively mild taste of a cucumber makes it a chameleon in the kitchen, being suitable for sweet and savory applications alike.

In terms of sangria, I prefer to use English cucumbers over any other variety. English cucumbers are distinct owing to their thin skin, scant seeds, firm flesh, and sweet flavor. When adding these to sangria, I generally peel and remove the seeds from the cucumbers before cutting and tossing them into the blend. I find that cucumbers work most effectively in white sangria and are best accompanied by fruits similar in color, like grapes, apples, and honeydew melons.

One of my go-to flavor palates in the kitchen are those associated with North African cuisine. Among these, orange blossom water is perhaps my favorite ingredient in sweet and savory dishes alike. It is produced using a steam distillation process, during which the intense flavors and aromas of the orange petals are extracted and concentrated. These lend subtle, floral, sweet, and slightly bitter notes to any dish or beverage.

Orange blossom water can be equally as effective as an addition to a white sangria as it is to a red sangria recipe. While it obviously pairs well with citrus fruits, it will enhance any fruit, providing a level of complexity that is even more nuanced than lemon or lime zest. Because it is so potent, a tablespoon or two per bottle of wine should be more than enough to impart subtle flavor without overwhelming the sangria. One of my preferred brands is this Sadaf orange blossom water.

While a satchel of spices isn't exactly a novel addition to sangria, this is often omitted or used sparingly. Additionally, sangria recipes tend to focus on standard warm or sweet spices, like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. While these are certainly classic, they are by no means the only spices that can enhance a batch of either white or red sangria.

I like to think outside of the box and incorporate spices that reflect the flavor notes of the bottle of wine or spirits I have added to the recipe. For example, some red wines can be rife with elements of spiciness, licorice, or citrus zest, lending themselves to the addition of spices like peppercorns, aniseed, or cardamom to the recipe. Similarly, spirits are frequently characterized by prominent earthy or floral notes, paving the way for more distinctive, savory spices to be added to the mix, like juniper berries or coriander seeds.

When it comes to layering flavors in beverages, bartenders have long known that the key to creating balance in a drink is to use a splash of bitters. Bitters are produced by infusing a base liquid with various botanicals, such as gentian root, burdock root, wormwood, or cinchona bark. These are enhanced with aromatics and flavorings, such as citrus peels, herbs, leaves, flowers, and spices, which create a liquid that can completely transform a drink, like sangria.

Though Angostura is the brand most people are familiar with, there are a number of different varieties out there, including Peychaud's aromatic cocktail bitters, which has distinctive licorice notes, and Regans' Orange Bitters No. 6. Just a few drops of any of these can be used to enhance a batch of sangria, helping to cut the sweetness and amplify the inherent flavor components of the wine or spirits used in the recipe.

For a notable kick that is sure to enhance a Latin-inspired menu, try adding some chili peppers to your batch of sangria. Though you can use dried or fresh chilis, fresh ones may be easier to control in terms of heat, as the drying process concentrates the spiciness of the pepper.

While you can certainly use whatever type of pepper you like, the key here is allowing the pepper to infuse the sangria over time without making it too spicy to taste the other components of the recipe. Good options include chile de arbol, serranos, jalapeños, or guajillo chilis. If you prefer spicier sangria, leave the seeds of the chili pepper intact before adding it to the recipe. If you want a milder kick, remove the seeds and veins of the chili before tossing it into the sangria. Lastly, while capsaicin dissolves in alcohol, the proof in a batch of sangria isn't high enough to make a notable difference in heat level.

While brandy or an orange liqueur, like Grand Marnier, are common additions to a batch of sangria, mixing up the spirit used to enhance the wine is always a great way to jazz things up. One such alcoholic beverage that infuses both flavor and a distinctive mouthfeel to the recipe is hard cider. Hard cider is produced by fermenting apple juice with yeast until the concoction is slightly fizzy and has an alcohol content of ranging on average between 4.5% and 7% ABV.

The precise flavor of cider can vary from dry to off-dry to semi-dry or semi-sweet. While hard cider can be paired with either red or white sangria, the type used is contingent on personal preference and how much sweetener is used in the recipe. I prefer to opt for drier varieties that are crisp in flavor and moderately effervescent, and I always add fresh apple slices to the fruit blend to accentuate the cider.

Watermelon ranks high among the fruits that are ideal for incorporating into a batch of sangria. Made of about 92% water, this fruit not only adds volume to the drink, it infuses it with sweetness and delicate floral notes. This fruit works best with a white sangria, where it will not be overwhelmed by a dry, tannic red wine. While you can use red or yellow watermelons, using a seedless variety will eliminate the need for fishing out the seeds from the finished sangria, which can be a huge pain. 

Though you can simply cut up some of the fruit to add to a sangria recipe, try adding some juice or even watermelon purée for even more flavor and a rich, unctuous mouthfeel. And, don't toss the watermelon rinds after adding the fruit. Save them and pickle them to create the perfect garnish for this refreshing libation, served in a glass rimmed with smoked sea salt, which is the quintessential accent to this fruit.

Sparkling sangria recipes are common, but it is still worth noting them here for those who may not have thought of this variation of this drink. To produce a sparkling sangria, some or all of the wine in the recipe can be substituted with sparkling wine, Champagne, or prosecco. The fizziness adds a festive twist to this already celebratory drink, helps to lighten the recipe, and amplifies the flavor of the fresh fruit.

When deciding which to use, Champagne, prosecco, or sparkling wine, the most important factor to consider is the level of sweetness. All three come in a variety of degrees of sweetness, from dry or extra dry to sec or doux. That said, prosecco tends to have more inherent fruit-forward notes and is especially well-suited to white sangria where tropical fruits or berries are featured. Good options include Mionetto Brut Prosecco or Valdo Brut Prosecco, both of which have a decent level of fruitiness, but aren't so sweet that they are cloying. 

If you are a fan of a mimosa at Sunday brunch, adding grapefruit to sangria is going to be one of your new favorite mash-ups. Unlike lemon or lime juice, grapefruit juice is sweet enough to be added as-is without being overwhelmingly tart, but it has an inherent bitter quality, owing to the presence of a flavonoid known as naringin, that is not as sugary as orange juice. This gives it a remarkable complexity that pairs well with white, red, and sparkling sangria recipes alike.

As a general rule, the darker the flesh of a grapefruit, the sweeter it will be, so it might be beneficial to invest in ruby red grapefruit varieties to juice for use in sangria. While you can use bottled grapefruit juice, keep in mind that these are typically sweetened, so you might need to adjust the sangria recipe accordingly, eliminating some or all of the sugar added, or opt for an unsweetened variety.

When it comes to effortlessly elevating sangria, it pays to educate oneself in the world of edible flowers. Edible flowers, like roses, chamomile, lavender, hibiscus, honeysuckle, lilac, and pansies, are the perfect accompaniment to sangria because of their aromatic qualities. They lend not only visual and olfactory interest to this drink, but they can also complement the types of fruits and spirits or liqueurs used in ways that you may not otherwise be able to.

Like spices and herbs, the key is using flowers that are not only safe to consume, but that share similar qualities and flavor notes to the other ingredients in the mix. For example, if you are featuring citrus fruits, tangy hibiscus may be a good addition, while a sparkling sangria lends itself to something with more assertive floral components, like rose petals. Just don't go overboard. Flowers should lend a kiss of flavor, not dominate the beverage.

Though brandy is the go-to spirit for sangria, bourbon can lend a sophistication to this beverage that can really elevate it to new heights. Because bourbon is distilled from grain, rather than fruit juice, it has a tendency to have a bolder flavor that is rife with caramel, vanilla, and oaky notes, in contrast with the fruity and herbaceous qualities of brandy. That said, this is a generalization and specific bourbons and brandies can vary vastly in inherent flavor profiles.

Bourbon is also more well-suited to sangria that features drier, more acidic red or white wines, rather than more delicate proseccos or rosés, so keep this in mind when deciding on the ideal spirit for a particular recipe. When using bourbon in sangria, it can take a little practice to get the ratio just right, owing to its high alcohol content and potentially assertive flavor. It is helpful to select a bourbon that reflects the specific fruits, herbs, and spices being used in the sangria recipe.

Another alternative to brandy in sangria that lends intense flavor and unique aromatic qualities is gin. Like bourbon, gin is distilled from grains that are infused with botanical elements, particularly juniper berries, citrus peels, and coriander. Again, though there are many different types of gin on the market, the basic flavor profile of gin leans toward piney, herbaceous, and fruity notes, which can amplify and balance out the various fruits, herbs, and spices used in a variety of different types of sangria.

The best types of gin to use for sangria are sipping gins. These are gins that are produced using a wide cross-section of botanicals and that are intended for drinking straight-up. Sipping gins tend to be quite well-balanced and won't overwhelm the other ingredients in your sangria. That said, they can be quite high in alcohol content, so use these with discernment, adding just enough to complement the other ingredients in the recipe, not overwhelm them. 

Pomegranates have long featured prominently in the culinary traditions of the Middle East, India, and the Caucasus. From its seeds to its juice to molasses produced from its juice, pomegranates are characterized by their blood-like crimson hue and tart, yet sweet, flavor profile. These inherent characteristics make them a delightful fit when it comes to sangria recipes.

While you can simply use pomegranate juice in a sangria recipe, I highly recommend using this fruit in all of its permutations, including seeds and molasses. Not only will this create a more nuanced flavor profile, it will produce a multi-sensory experience like none other. Just keep in mind that pomegranates will act as a de facto dye, transforming the color of the sangria regardless of whether you use white, red, or sparkling wine. I like to use Cortas concentrated pomegranate molasses, while my preferred juice is POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice. 

Flavored iced tea isn't exactly a novelty, but adding tea to enhance the taste of sangria may be. Green tea, in particular, is especially well-suited for use in sangria due to its distinctive flavor characteristics. It is produced by cooking freshly harvested camellia sinensis leaves, a process that halts oxidation, thereby retaining greater quantities of chlorophyll, polyphenols, and antioxidants.

The primary components that impact how green tea can infuse sangria with flavor are l-theanine, an amino acid that increases the sweetness in green tea, and catechins, which are polyphenols that lend intense bitter notes. These flavor notes act in concert with the alcohol, fruit, spices, and herbs used in sangria to intensify them and allow them to pervade every part of your palate. To use it in sangria, toss green tea bags directly into the blend and allow these to marinate in the refrigerator or use chilled, brewed tea in the mix, which produces a more intense flavor.

Vanilla may be a common addition to baked goods, but it can also lend complexity to beverages. Its inherent warm, creamy, and woody notes work especially well with the fruity, sweet component in sangria, infusing it with exotic, indulgent qualities that are hard to capture with any other ingredient.

While you can use vanilla extract, vanilla beans can be an even more luxurious ingredient, providing flavor and giving sangria a bespeckled appearance. Though it may not always be a sin to use imitation vanilla in desserts, this is not the time to skimp on the real deal. Imitation vanilla tends to have a cloying sweetness and distinctive synthetic aftertaste when used straight up and not heated, which will negatively impact the sangria, rather than enhance it. Opt for a high quality, pure variety, like the Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract from Nielsen-Massey, or try using vanilla bean paste from the same brand. 

If you are wanting to capture the aromatic qualities of various herbs and spices, the warmth of chili peppers, and the delicate sweetness of fruit in one ingredient, fresh ginger fits the bill. In many ways, it is the ideal addition to a batch of sangria, as its multifaceted flavor-profile kills many birds with one stone.

There are a couple of ways to use fresh ginger in sangria. First, slices of it can simply be added to the mixture and allowed to steep as the beverage marinates in the refrigerator. Another way to incorporate ginger is to infuse a simple syrup with it. This lends a more subtle flavor, which may pair better with a white or sparkling sangria. To drive home the flavor, try garnishing the ginger-infused sangria with bits of Trader Joe's crystallized candied ginger, or make your own by steeping slices of ginger in simple syrup and then allowing them to cool and dry.