The Last Sip: Three Summer Sangrias

By Susan Able, Photography by Tom McCorkle, Styling by Limonata Creative

A Spanish punch, sangria, is a beautiful and most agreeable way to serve drinks meant for the warm nights of summer. Nothing says welcome to summer entertaining quite like a big chilled slightly sweaty pitcher of sangria served up full of fresh fruit of the season. Even better, it needs to be made ahead, to let the ingredients co-mingle and infuse. If you are serving 6-8, I would definitely suggest making a second batch. In my experience, no one can have just one glass.

Kiwi Melon Sangria

Kiwi Melon Sangria

2½ cups cubed honeydew melon or light-fleshed summer melon
1 (750 ml) bottle dry white wine
½ cup brandy
¼ cup tequila
3 kiwis, peeled and sliced, or a pint of kiwi berries from the farm market
1 lime, sliced
1 cup club soda or seltzer water
Fresh mint for garnish, if desired

Add 1½ cups of the honeydew melon and ¼ cup of the white wine to your blender. Blend on high for 2 minutes. Transfer the purée to a large pitcher or Mason jar. Then stir in the remaining white wine, brandy and tequila. Add the kiwi slices, lime slices and remaining 1 cup of cubed honeydew melon. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, up to overnight.

Divide the sangria mixture evenly into serving glasses. Top each with soda water; stir in gently. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs and a lime wheel.

White Peach Sangria

White Peach Sangria
Recipe adapted from Boy Meets Grill by Bobby Flay

1 bottle dry white wine
3 ounces brandy
2 ounces triple sec
1 cup orange juice
1 cup pineapple juice
2 ounces simple syrup*
3 ounces white peach purée (peel peaches, remove pit and purée in a blender or food processor with ⅛ cup water)
Fresh white peaches, yellow peaches and nectarines

*Make simple syrup: Take equal parts sugar and water and stir together in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, then let cool. Put extra syrup in a jar and keep chilled; it can be kept for a month.

Place all ingredients in a pitcher and stir to mix. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 48 hours. Serve over ice.

Uncle Sam’s Sangria

Uncle Sam’s Sangria

1 bottle dry white wine
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 cup apple juice or white grape juice
1 pound fresh strawberries, sliced
3–4 thin slices pineapple or Granny Smith apple
1 bottle prosecco (or other dry sparkling white wine)

Using a small, star-shaped cookie cutter, cut small stars out of pineapple or apple (pears work too) to get the “white” in the red, white and blue and for extra visual whimsy with this sangria version. Mix all ingredients together, except for the stars and sparkling wine, and let sit overnight or for 4 hours in the refrigerator. Stir in the fruit stars and sparkling wine just before serving.