Virgin sangria
Cranberry and orange juice with chopped fruit and a splash of soda, chilled in a jug. Serves four.
- Time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Glass
- Wine glass
- Strength
- Alcohol-free
How to make virgin sangria
- Chop the fruit. Dice the apple and slice the orange into thin half-moons.
- Mix in a jug. Put the fruit in a large jug with the cranberry juice, orange juice, lemon juice and sugar syrup. Stir well.
- Chill. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least an hour, or up to 6 hours. The fruit will soak up the juice.
- Top and serve. Add the soda water and plenty of ice. Stir once and pour into glasses, with a spoonful of fruit in each.
- Glass
- Wine glassNo wine glass? Any large glass.
- Ice
- Ice cubes
- Garnish
- A spoonful of the soaked fruitOr: An orange wheel.
What you need to make virgin sangria
Kit
JiggerA double-ended measure, usually 25 ml and 50 ml.
Citrus squeezerFresh juice makes the biggest difference of anything.
LadleFor serving from the pan.
Bottles we'd use
- Alcohol-free red wineFor a richer, wine-like version, replace the cranberry juice with a dealcoholised red.Find it on Amazon
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Virgin sangria variations and swaps
For a white version, replace the cranberry juice with 400 ml of white grape juice and use peach, pear and green apple for the fruit. For more spice, add a cinnamon stick to the jug while it soaks. Use ginger ale in place of the soda water for a sweeter, gingery drink. To make it with alcohol, replace the cranberry juice with 400 ml of red wine and stir in 40 ml of brandy. If your juices are already sweet, leave out the sugar syrup and taste before you add any.
The virgin sangria story
Sangria is a Spanish fruit punch, normally red wine with chopped fruit and a little spirit. Without the wine, the fruit does more of the work: apple, orange and lemon soak up the juice and the drink gets better as it sits.
Cranberry juice stands in for the red wine, giving the colour and a dry, tart edge. Make it at least an hour ahead, and add the soda at the last minute so it stays lively.
Virgin sangria: your questions answered
What is in virgin sangria?
Virgin sangria is made with 400 ml pure cranberry juice, 200 ml orange juice, 40 ml fresh lemon juice, an apple, an orange, 30 ml sugar syrup and 300 ml soda water, which makes 4 glasses. Garnish: a spoonful of the soaked fruit.
Is this virgin sangria alcohol-free?
Yes. This virgin sangria is made without any alcoholic ingredients, so it suits drivers and anyone taking a night off.
What glass do you serve virgin sangria in?
Serve virgin sangria in a wine glass over ice. No wine glass? Any large glass.
