Bring on summer or festivities with this divine white sangria. White wine is steeped with fresh mango, passion fruit, fresh mint and a touch of peach schnapps for a fruity summer cocktail. It can be made a few hours ahead of time and then served when you're ready so it's the perfect drink for a busy host! This is a pushy recipe Dear Reader.
Sangria is a delicious alcoholic mixed drink that hails from Spain and Portugal. Traditionally it is made with red wine (usually Rioja) and a mix of local, seasonal fruit. The fruit steeps in the wine and melds to add flavour and you can see the cut fruit peeking through the wine. It's one of those drinks that is popular with tourists although reportedly isn't drunk as much by locals. There are many variations on sangria based on area.
While red wine sangria has been around since the 18th century, white wine sangria or sangria blanca is a more recent invention. I tried it at a restaurant called Ahgora in Glebe where they added passion fruit to their sangria and I was so in love with their version that I started making white sangria. I also think it really suits warmer weather too. My favourite version is the one I've made a lot recently with mango and passion fruit. This combo is a match made in heaven and when I first served this to Mr NQN his eyes widened and a big smile spread over his face. He picked up the jug and walked away with it comically but I did notice he didn't actually come back with it.
Which type of White Wine can you use for White Sangria?
You don't have to use your best wine for sangria as the flavour will be altered by the addition of fruit, syrup and schnapps. But do use a white wine that you like drinking on its own. Try Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Moscato, Rose or even Prosecco (although the fizz will be lost after a while).
Which Fruit To Use in Sangria?
This sangria uses mango syrup or nectar, fresh mango and fresh passion fruit. But you can use whatever fruit you have from strawberries, apples, oranges, peaches, blueberries. You can also use frozen fruit in this as it will steep in the wine. I don't recommend using tinned fruit for sangria though as the flavours are more muted. I tried a batch with tinned passion fruit and it was barely discernible.
What is Sugar Syrup?
Simple sugar syrup is a 1:1 blend of water and sugar. I have a very, very quick simple syrup recipe below that takes 1 minute total with no simmering required!
Can I Use Other types of Sugar in this Sangria?
Yes, you can use maple syrup or coconut sugar too!
Tips For Drinking Sangria
Don't add too many ice cubes to your pitcher or it will dilute it. It was SUUPER hot on the day that I made it so I added a few. But instead add the ice to the glasses. Sangria is very drinkable so I always top mine up with chilled soda water or you may find people drink it very quickly and get tipsy quite quickly!
We have been drinking this sangria regularly for the past couple of months ever since mangoes starting appearing at the market. Although we moved house almost 2 years ago there are just some things that we haven't unpacked or attended to. One of these things was a whole box of sparkling wine and Prosecco. Unfortunately it had sat neglected for this time in a sunny area and honestly some of the sparkle had gone. The flavour is still perfectly good especially as they're not sealed with corks. Some bottles were still effervescent but some weren't and there was no way to tell and it would be too embarrassing opening up a bottle of sparkling only to get a weak "pfft".
So this box of sparkling wine was all donated to "white sangria research". And once it was finished, well we had to buy more!
So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever tried white sangria?
Reader Comments
Loading comments...Add Comment