"Springria" - Welcome Spring with Fruity Sangria

Last Friday was the official start of Spring, and with some good weather finally sweeping in, it was time to celebrate. Nothing says sunny days and lazy afternoons like fruity sangria. I’ve dubbed the recipes below “Springria” in honor of the new season.

I've included recipes for both white and red wine based sangria. Enjoy some sangria with your friends and enjoy the start of spring!

Red Springria
1 Bottle of Red Wine (We used Syrah)
½ cup Brandy
½ cup orange juice
½ cup triple sec
½ cup simple syrup
1 red apple
1 red pear
1 orange
1 lemon
1 lime

Slice all the fruit into thin slices or bite-size pieces and put it into the bottom of a large pitcher. Pour in the brandy, orange juice and triple sec. Add the bottle of red wine. Stir in the simple syrup to your desired sweetness. This sangria tastes more like the traditional sangria I have tried. There are subtle red wine flavors beneath the fruit. It tastes good immediately, but given 24 hours in the fridge, this tastes even better.

White Springria
1 bottle white wine (We used Pinot Grigio)
3 oz. Brandy
2 oz. Triple Sec
3 oz. Peach Schnapps
1 cup Orange Juice
1 cup Pineapple Juice
2-3 oz. simply syrup
1 green apple
1 pear
1 peach
1 orange
½ lemon
½ lime

Like the red version, add the sliced fruit to the bottom of a large pitcher. Pour in the Brandy, Triple Sec, Peach Schnapps, orange juice and pineapple juice. Add in the bottle of wine and the simple syrup. Stir and refrigerate.
We had a lot of fun figuring out what fruit to use, playing with proportions and measurements and of course, tasting. The beautiful thing about Sangria is that you really can’t mess it up. Go ahead and try all sorts of combinations and let me know your favorite recipe!