In keeping with the traditional red and white colours of the Canadian flag, I decided to try my hand at creating a White Wine Sangria with red fruit, hence a White & Red Sangria to serve this coming July 1st for Canada Day. Traditionally Sangria is made with Red Wine, a liqueur (usually brandy), sugar and fruit. This form of Sangria as we know it, hails from Spain, however Sangria has been written about since the Greeks. That's quite a history!
To make the Sangria a bit fresher and lighter, due to our recent heat wave, I decided to use a dry white wine - Sauvignon Blanc as the base. A local BC wine would also work wonderfully, such as a dry pinot gris or pinot blanc. During Sangria recipe testing, I decided to try a number of different liqueurs (image below), including Cointreau (orange liqueur), St-Germaine (elderflower liqueur) and Lillet (a French fortified wine) in various combinations and strengths in order to achieve an overall palette pleaser. I also played around with the addition of different herbs - basil and mint. While both herbs worked with the white wine and liqueur flavour profiles, the mint added the freshness I was looking for in a summer sipper.
I think I've come up with a fresh, balanced drink in this White and Red Sangria recipe - it's dry, and not too sweet. A perfect Canada Day sipper for a sunny outdoor visit. I hope you enjoy! As with all my recipes, feel free to experiment with liqueurs and add-ins - fresh peaches and apples would also be amazing in this recipe.
If you make this recipe, let me know what you think, I'd love to hear from you. You can leave a comment below or post any pics to #mykuratedlife on Instagram. I look forward to seeing you're creations.
Happy Canada Day,
Krista xo
White & Red Sangria With Berries
serves 8-10
Ingredients
2 bottle chilled, dry white wine, like Sauvignon Blanc
3/4 cup St-Germaine Elderflower Liqueur
1/4 cup Cointreau
1/4 cup simple syrup (1:1 water:sugar boiled and simmered until sugar melts, then allowed to cool)
1 lemon, juiced
1 lime, juiced
2-3 bottles club soda, I used Fever Tree
Add-Ins
3 cups of sliced fruit (I used local, in-season strawberries, cherries (pitted) and raspberries)
12 mint leaves
Method
In a large pitcher or apothecary jar add the 2 bottles of wine, St-Germaine Liqueur, Cointreau, simple syrup, lemon and lime juices and stir to combine. Add in sliced strawberries, cherries, mint and whole raspberries. Cover and chill for 30 minutes to 2 hours. If you leave it longer than this, the fruit begins to change texture and colour (If you plan to make the base the night before and chill, add fruit/mint add-ins 30 minutes before serving). Right before serving, top Sangria with Club Soda and serve with ice in individual old-fashioned or stemless wine glasses.
Recipe Notes:
As I am a firm believer in buying and eating local, try using what is in-season and fresh from your garden. The mint and some of the strawberries in this sangria came straight from my back-yard - you can't get fresher than that!
