Best Party Sangria

By: Mark Adams

Mark is the founder of Amber Crest Winery, a professional winemaker, author and frequent speaker on wine. He currently teaches wine classes throughout the United States.  This is an excerpt about the Best Party Sangria from The Really Fun Sangria Book

The big day is fast approaching.  People coming over.  Your party could be the social event of the year. IF….if you serve the right drinks!

OK, it doesn’t take Sherlock Homes to know that.  So what do you do? Well of course you serve Sangria!

Well alrighty then, what is the best party sangria you ask? Let me help you out a bit. Here’s all that you do to be a sangria party star.

What to Serve

If you’re having only a few people over, say six or less, I would stick with one type of sangria.

A typical batch of sangria using one bottle of wine with other ingredients will be about 36 ounces.  Enough for 6, 6 ounce glasses.

But depending on your group, you’ll probably need more, so be prepared to double the batch. A rule of thumb to be safe is to figure on 1 bottle of wine and other ingredients per 4 people.

If you have more people it might be fun to make maybe a batch without liqueur and maybe a batch with for the more adventurous of the group.

Since some people prefer red wines and some like whites, maybe you could make a batch of red and a batch of white. Again, this is a part of the party where you can be totally creative.

Best Party Sangria

Here are some excellent Sangria recipes for a party

How to make it

All of my recipes are for one bottle. Its very easy to scale up just by increasing the quantities of your ingredients.

Remember one of the benefits of sangria is that is can be made well in advance so you can concentrate on other areas of the party.

Sometimes when I’m making Sangria for a party, I start out with fruits that are in season and then base the Sangria recipe around that.

For instance, I have a really good recipe for mulled or warmed sangria in my Really Fun Sangria Book that is perfect for the holidays. But in the dead of summer I tend to prefer a white refreshing sangria.

But if you really like a certain flavor, forget about the time of the year and have at it!

How to serve it

Remember that big ole punch bowl that Uncle John and Aunt Susie gave you for your wedding that is burried way back in your closet? Time to pull it out.  Yea, the ladle, too.

If Uncle John and Aunt Susie forgot about you on the big day, be creative.  What about that big spaghetti pot?

If you don’t have anything, don’t sweat, just fill the glasses and set them on the table.  But whatever you do, it will turn out fine.

What to name it

Here’s a fun idea! How about naming your Sangria? What??? OK, here’s what I mean. Everyone likes to be recognized, right?

What if your friend Bob just got engaged?  Why not name the sangria something like Big Bob Sangria and put a small name card in front of the sangria.

People will get a kick out of something like a named sangria.  Or what about after your favorite sports team. Or what about after something funny someone in you group did?

The possibilities are endless. These are just some simple thoughts and tips to get you started.  But don’t fear.  Whatever you do will be fine.

If you would like more information about Sangria click here

I hope you enjoy the best party sangria!