While it seems like fall should be quickly approaching, it is still really hot. It is State Fair time after all and it wouldn’t be the same eating all of that fried food without sweating in the summer sun. We’ve been touting rosé, rosé, and more rosé all summer because we love it and want you to love it too but there are other wines to enjoy when it’s super steamy out including wine cocktails. The most well known of these wine cocktails is sangria. There are so many different versions of sangria you can make and the flavor possibilities are endless. Historically this drink came about hundreds of years ago all around Europe because water wasn’t potable. Beer or wine with spices and any sort of fruit to make them taste better was the common beverage. Sangria itself has origins in Spain, named from the word sangre referring to its dark color from red wine. This beverage was introduced to the U.S. in 1964 at the Spanish booth at the World’s Fair in New York City. Since then it has taken on many forms from overpriced glass of wine with soda water to bottled wine cooler and a trendy cocktail.  We have a few pre bottled sangrias on the shelf but it is so easy to make and there is lots of fun to be had experimenting with different flavors!

The base of most sangrias is wine, brandy, a liqueur such as triple-sec for sweetness (or sugar), fruit and soda water to top it off. You can make red, white, or even rosé sangria and change up the different types of fruit such as oranges, strawberries, raspberries, peaches, pineapple and more. You can add herbs from the garden like mint, basil, or rosemary and instead of club soda you can add fancy flavored sodas. Here are a couple of recipes we’ve come up with as a guide for some great refreshing drinks to enjoy the last few hot days of summer.

Lemon Basil Sangria

1 750 ml bottle of Pinot Grigio (Guenoc Pinot Grigio $7.99, or other inexpensive white)

¼  Cup E& J Brandy (or other budget brand, you can add more or less depending on how strong you want it to be)

½ Cup Limoncello (more or less depending on how strong you want it to be)

Sugar to taste

Lemon Slices

Basil leaves (muddle them to extract flavor)

(add strawberries if you want it to be fruitier)

Soda Water (tip: if you add the soda water to the mix it will go flat quickly so just top off each glass as you pour the sangria out)

Strawberry Orange Rosé Sangria

1 750 ml bottle of rosé ( La Vieille Ferme at $8.99)

¼  Cup E&J Brandy (or other budget brand, you can add more or less depending on how strong you want it to be)

½ Cup Triple Sec (orange flavored liqueur)

Strawberries cut up and Orange slices

San Pellegrino Aranciata Orange Soda (use in place of club soda)

Mint leaves for garnish