It may be only 37-degrees Fahrenheit as I write this post, but the flavors of the strawberry mint white sangria I’m sipping remind me of sweet summertime.
White sangria is one of my favorite summer cocktails. It’s light and fruity, and so refreshing on a hot day. I first discovered sangria while visiting Spain in 2003. Though the Spanish sangria I drank was made with red wine, I’ve really come to enjoy all the variations you can make with white and sparkling wines.
When my mom and I decided to have a Spanish-themed evening of tapas, it only seemed appropriate to make sangria too. Then I remembered my mom had picked up a book of sangria recipes.
The Recipe
Strawberry Mint White Sangria ingredients (Erin Klema/The Epicurean Traveler)
Ingredients
- 2 cups sliced strawberries
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves (about 20 leaves total and left on sprigs); plus additional sprigs for garnish
- 1.5 ounces brandy
- 750 ml bottle of chilled, dry white wine
- 12 ounces chilled club soda
- 3 cups ice cubes
Sliced strawberries (Erin Klema/The Epicurean Traveler)
Directions
Combine the strawberries, mint leaves and brandy in a large pitcher. You’ll need to remove the mint leaves after two hours. Otherwise, the mint could overpower the other flavors. Since you’ll be plucking the mint leaves out of the pitcher later, it is easier to leave them on the sprig.
Mint leaves (Erin Klema/The Epicurean Traveler)
Then slowly pour the wine into the pitcher, and gently stir together. We chose to use a Beringer Pinot Grigio that was on sale at our local grocery store. If you have a cheap bottle of wine, making a sangria is a great way to use it. Save your nice wines to be enjoyed on their own.
Other dry white wines you could use include Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, or a Pinot Blanc. You want a wine that is high in acidity with a crisp finish. I like the Pinot Grigio for this recipe because it is a very fruity-flavored wine.
After you’ve added the wine, refrigerate it between two hours and overnight. Remember to pull those mint leaves out after two hours!
Beringer Pinot Grigio (Erin Klema/The Epicurean Traveler)
Once you are ready to serve the sangria, pour the club soda into the pitcher and gently stir again.
Place a few ice cubes in each glass. Then pour the sangria, garnish with a sprig of mint leaves, serve and enjoy!
Strawberry Mint White Sangria (Erin Klema/The Epicurean Traveler)
This recipe should yield 4-6 glasses, depending on how generously you pour your libations.
As the strawberries infuse into the wine, the sangria turns a light pink color and picks up more aroma of the fresh fruit.
I can’t wait to make this again in the summertime, pairing it with a fruit and cheese plate or spicy food. I’ll be keeping this recipe in mind for when I host summer dinner parties, baby or bridal showers, or laidback bachelorette parties.
You can find Sangria: Fun and Festive Recipes
This was so easy to make and refreshing. Whipping it up with snow on the ground made me long for warm summer days and chance to try some more refreshing versions when sunny hot humid days return to the Mitten.