A few weeks ago, I went up to my friend Lisa’s apartment to have drinks on her deck. We originally talked about doing margarita’s, but decided to skip those in favor of something a little healthier. Enter: sangria! Although some sangrias can be filled with too much sugar, this one doesn’t have any added sugar and is naturally sweetened by the fruit, brandy and white wine.

It’s also a very simple, minimal ingredient sangria because, well, I just wanted to throw something together quickly and easily. Feel free to sub out the wine for something you prefer more and pick fruit according to what you have or what’s on sale. The beauty of sangria is that there are endless possibilities for what you can put in it!

Ingredients

• 1 bottle of white wine- I suggest a sweeter wine like a Riesling or Pinot Grigio
• 1 or 2 nips of Brandy- I only used one, but using 2 might make it sweeter if that’s what you’re looking for
• 1/2 large orange, sliced
• 1/2 lemon, sliced
• 1/2 lime, sliced
• 1/2-1 cup strawberry seltzer water- feel free to use whatever flavor you want, but I had this and thought it was a great addition

Directions

Pour the wine and brandy in a container, add in the sliced fruit and half of the seltzer you plan to use. Stir and refrigerate for a few hours so the fruit juices can settle in. Before serving, add in the rest of the seltzer to give it a bit of fizz. Serve over ice and enjoy!

We all loved this sangria and I think what made me love it was that it wasn’t TOO sweet. Sometimes I feel like sangria’s are all juice and, as a wine lover, i’m always a little disappointed when that’s the case. I want to taste the wine and this sangria accomplished that.

I realize it’s September, but the weather is still great for outdoor cocktail hours so there’s still plenty of time to hang onto summer drinks with this recipe!

Questions for you: Do you like white or red sangria? Have you ever made sangria?