Fred Goslin's Sangria

This is sangria in its simplest, most reliable form. You pre-dissolve the sugar in the citrus juices (essentially a quick simple syrup) so you do not end up with gritty undissolved crystals settling at the bottom of the pitcher. Then chill the citrus base. Right before serving, add two bottles of red wine and fresh orange slices, and pour over ice.

The pre-chill is what separates a good sangria from a watery one. Adding warm citrus syrup to room-temperature wine waters down the drink fast as the ice melts. A cold base lets the ice do its real job of keeping things cold without thinning out the wine. Use a fruity, easy-drinking red wine, not your good bottle. Spanish Tempranillo, Garnacha, or a fruity Merlot all work beautifully here.

Quick Tips

• Dissolve the sugar fully in the juices before chilling. Once cold, sugar refuses to dissolve and just sinks to the bottom.
• Use freshly squeezed citrus juice if you can. Bottled juice tastes flat against the wine.
• Skip the expensive wine. Cheap, fruity reds work better in sangria because the fruit and sugar override delicate notes anyway.
• Add the fruit slices right before serving, not the night before. Fruit left to sit in wine turns mealy and gives up too much water into the pitcher.
• Serve in a wide-mouthed pitcher so guests can scoop out the fruit with a long spoon.

Variations

• Add a splash of brandy, Cointreau, or triple sec to the citrus base for extra strength.
• Swap the red wine for white wine plus a touch of peach or apricot juice for a summer-friendly white sangria.
• Top each glass with a splash of soda water for a lighter, fizzier version.