One doesn’t need to be an expert on wine or fruit in order to make some frighteningly tasty sangria. In fact, it’d take some serious effort to make a bad batch of the traditional Spanish beverage. All you gotta do is pick out just about any red or white wine—bold, dry, or fruity, but nothing too sweet or expensive—and add in your choice assortment of fruit. (To keep my recipes somewhat traditional, I like choosing a Spanish import bottle like Rioja, Tempranillo, or Grenache.) Sangria is an easy-to-make alcoholic beverage, so you can play around with the simple base recipe each time and make it more or less complex. The key is to let the wine-and-fruit mixture steep overnight so the flavors can marinate. The result: a stiff, refreshing, fruit-forward wine punch that drinks easier than a straight glass of wine on summer’s hottest days. You can do more or less of the fruits suggested here and adjust for less sugar (or no sugar!) according to your palate. Here’s one foolproof recipe that’ll keep your friends, family, and barbecue guests making consecutive trips to the drink dispenser.
