Try my refreshing patriotic sangria recipe, just in time for the 4th of July! My red white and blue sangria recipe mixes fresh red, white, and blue fruit with sparkling wine for a delicious July 4th treat. The best part? You can mix and match the fruit you like most!
While the 4th of July isn't celebrated in Spain, I always try to make a special meal the weekend prior.
My event is always a combination of American classics (my mom's pasta salad and carrot cake) and Spanish tapas (like watermelon gazpacho and patatas aliñadas).
But the real star of the show? This 4th of July sangria-- made with red, white, and blue fruit!
I am a big fan of traditional Spanish sangria, and despite the fact it's not actually very common in Spain (read all about the history of Spanish sangria here), I make it often-- especially when friends are coming over.
This red white and blue sangria is a white wine and cava-based sangria. It uses red, white, and blue fruits to make the perfect patriotic addition to a 4th of July barbecue. Make a few pitchers-- in my experience, it disappears quickly!
See also: My recipe for cava sangria, rose sangria, or my favorite watermelon sangria
Key Ingredients for Red White and Blue Sangria
- White wine: something fruity! Here in Spain, I choose Rueda most of the time.
- Sparkling wine: I highly recommend cava. It's Spain's amazing (and often inexpensive) sparking wine of choice. But substitute Prosecco or other sparklers as you wish.
- Fruit: Here's where things get fun! Just choose your favorite red, white, and blue fruits for this 4th of July sangria and you'll be sipping in style. I like to use blueberries, raspberries, green apples, white melons, grapes, and watermelon cubes.
- Sweeteners: Add sweeteners little by little, to make sure the final result is just how you like it. To sweeten this red white and blue sangria I use a mix of pineapple juice and simple syrup -- and of course the natural sweetness of all the marinated fruit!
- Hard alcohol: To give your 4th of July sangria some punch, you should add a bit of hard alcohol. My choice is brandy, but you can add vodka or even rum with great results.
Red White and Blue Sangria Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 bottle of cava dry Spanish sparkling wine
- 1 bottle fruity dry white wine Spanish Rueda or Sauvignon Blanc are good options
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- 2 Granny Smith apples peeled
- 1 cup white fleshed melon like honeydew
- 1 cup red grapes
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 cup fresh watermelon
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- ¼ cup brandy optional
- Ice cubes
- ¼ cup simple syrup to taste (add more/less to preference)
- 2 tablespoon sugar
Simple Syrup
- â…“ cup sugar
- â…“ cup water
Instructions
- Start by preparing the fruit: Dice the apples into small cubes (make sure to peel the skin), use a melon baller to get one cup of melon and watermelon (if you don't have one dice into cubes), and cut the grapes in half.
- In a large bowl, marinate the raspberries, apple, white melon, and grapes, along with the 2 tablespoon of sugar and ¼ cup of brandy (if using). Marinate for at least 20 minutes, but preferably 1 hour.
- In the meantime, make a simple syrup by heating the â…“ cup of water and â…“ cup of sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar is totally dissolved and the mixture starts to simmer. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Add the bottle of white wine and the pineapple juice to the marinated fruit. Taste for sweetness (depending on the fruit used it may or may not need the simple syrup). Adjust with simple syrup if necessary.
- Prepare a large glass with ice cubes, some fresh blueberries, and fresh watermelon. Pour the sangria mixture over the glass until â…” full. Top off with cold cava. Stir ever so slightly to make sure everything is mixed, but not enough to break the bubbles in the cava.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
This red white and blue sangria is sure to be a hit at your next 4th of July party! Make it and let me know how it goes in the comments!
Chris Nation
Can't comment on the recipe itself yet but thought I'd point out the the red, white and blue applies to France on July 14th. Sounds like it's perfect for the Wimbledon tennis-fest in England coming up later this month. There are 3 countries that include the R/W/B British Union Flag in theirs and 17 other countries whose flags are based on some arrangment of R/W/B. This recipe could go a long way!