Celebrate Independence dayโor any dayโwith this patriotic sangria that gets its red, white, and blue colors from berries, star-shaped apples, and white wine.
Happy [almost] Fourth of July! Since the holiday falls on a Wednesday this year, and we both have the day off work, Matt and I are planning to start the morning with a hike and relax at home for the rest of the day. One thing I’m hoping to make for our chill day? This American-themed sangria recipe!
I’ve made a couple versions of this sangria in the past, but this is by far my favorite. The colorful berries and mixture of white wine, triple sec, and vodka makes for a colorful alcoholic treat. (If you’re wanting a non-alcoholic festive treat, I posted a Red, White & Blue Popsicles recipe awhile ago too!)
When I’ve made this in the past, I’ve tried using sweet white wine (which made this way too juice-like and not wine-y enough), frozen berries (does not look nearly as pretty), and various white fruits for the “white” of the red, white, and blue. With a lot of [tasty] trial and error, I’ve finally landed on this version.
I created the stars out of apple slices using a pairing knife, which definitely was a labor of love. If you’re not interested in putting forth that effort, I’d recommend getting a small star-shaped cookie cutter, or you can just use pieces of other white-ish fruits. (I’ve seen recipes using fruits ranging from pineapple chunks to nectarines and honeydew.) I thought the apple stars looked really cute, though, so if you have the patience and/or a cookie cutter, I think it’s worth it!
If you’re not a big vodka fan, or you want a tamer sangria, you can either omit the berry-flavored vodka or just reduce the amount. I thought 1/2 cup tasted just right since it’s not too overpowering, but it still adds a little something to the mixture.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 cup raspberries
- 1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1 sliced green apple cut into star shapes
- 1 cup white grape juice
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup triple sec
- 1/2 cup berry-flavored vodka
- 1 bottle dry white wine (like sauvignon blanc)
- 8 oz ginger ale
Instructions:
- Add all ingredients to a large pitcher right before serving.*
Notes:
*The strawberries and raspberries start to lose their color if this is made ahead of time. If you want to prepare this more than an hour or so before serving, wait to add the strawbererries and raspberries until last minute.
Instead of adding extra sugar like a lot of sangria recipes call for, I decided to use pop/soda in the form of ginger ale. I mean…Canada Day was yesterday, so why not bust out the Canada Dry, right? ๐
I hope you have a safe and wonderful Independence Day!
Will you be doing anything special for the Fourth of July? Seeing fireworks?
Do you say pop, soda, coke, or something else?
The original version of this recipe was posted in July 2014.
Yummy. Pop, but Alex says soda. Since I’m usually conversing with him on such beverage I’ve been catching myself using soda.
Makes sense! I say soda a lot too, but it’s because I think it sounds cool. Haha
Nice looks good! Happy 4th
Thanks!! You too ๐