Easy Red Wine Sangria Recipe for a Crowd

This easy red wine sangria recipe for a crowd is delicious for a party, any time of year. Ingredients like red wine, brandy, Triple Sec, orange juice, and fruit make the perfect drink blend. This red wine punch is easy to make ahead and gets better with time. 

red sangria in pitcher with 3 filled glasses

Your going to love this pitcher drink for entertaining. Serve it for an appetizers & sangria party or wine theme ladies night. And of course it always goes great with a party cheese board or Mexican party ideas.

This is one of the easiest party drinks you can serve, and it’s easy to make a big batch ahead of time. In fact this would be wonderful to take to a tailgating party or Super Bowl party.

Even people who don’t typically drink wine seem to enjoy a glass of sangria. I guess it’s all that fruity goodness that’s added to it, and sipping it over ice.

glass pitcher of red sangria

Easy red sangria

What makes a sangria recipe so good is that you add boozy liqueurs with wine and fruit, then let it sit for a few hours so the flavors can combine and mellow.

Ingredients & substitutions

Red wine – some of my favorite wines to use are Merlot, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Malbec.

Orange juice – this is the classic juice to use in red sangria. Use pulp-free for a smoother texture.

Brandy – brandy is a liquor produced from distilled wine so it’s slightly sweet. It adds depth to the flavor but you can make sangria without brandy by substituting with something like Cognac, or another fruit flavored liqueur.

Orange liqueur – use Triple Sec for this because it’s very affordable and also goes in margaritas! For a fancier style use Grand Marnier.

Fruit – fresh fruit is an integral party of sangria drinks. For this one we add sliced oranges, lemons, and Italian black cherries.

Sparkling juice – I love to add bubbles to sangria just before serving so it has some sparkle and effervescence. Use sparkling cider, or sparkling white grape juice. You can also substitute with sparkling water or sparkling wine.

PARTY TIP: For best results make this 2 to 5 hours ahead so the ingredients can mingle and mellow.

You can also make it the night before a party, just know that it will look a little more cloudy. The taste though, is *chef’s kiss* perfection!

sliced oranges, lemons, and cherries on plate with pitcher drink nearby
pitcher with 2 glasses of red sangria, overhead

What to eat with red sangria

Cocktails always taste better when they’re paired with food. Not to mention it helps to soak up the alcohol. Here are some tasty options to try.

red sangria in 3 stemmed glasses

More sangria recipes

I’m sure there are a million different sangria recipes. But here are a few of my favorites.

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red sangria in glass pitcher with oranges, cherries, and lemons inside

Classic Red Wine Sangria Recipe for a Crowd

Yield: 12 cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Classic red wine sangria is a great pitcher drink for parties. It's easy to make ahead with wine, orange juice, orange liqueur, fruit and sparkling juice.

Ingredients

  • 2 Bottles {750 ml} or 1 large bottle (1.5 liter) Merlot wine
  • 1 cup OJ
  • 1 cup brandy
  • 1/2 cup orange liqueur {Triple Sec}
  • 1 bottle {750 ml} sparkling cider
  • Sliced oranges, lemons, and blueberries

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients EXCEPT sparkling cider.
  2. Chill until ready to serve.
  3. For best results, refrigerate overnight and add sparkling cider just before serving.

Notes

Substitute sparkling cider with sparkling white grape juice or sparkling water.

Did you make this recipe?

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One Comment

  1. oh my yum – pinning this to make soon This is a FAVE of mine! Looks great! 😉

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