raspberry limeade sangria
Who else needs to kick back and forget this week happened?
Oi. I always go into a new week with fresh optimism – Monday is Target Day, after all, and that always has a way of boosting my mood – but sometimes, I don’t finish the week in that same bowl of bubbles. I feel like this often is the Friday narrative: I didn’t have a great day, and I’m hoping a slide into the weekend serves as a bit of a reset.
Though, I work The Day Job on Sunday, so a weekend isn’t really a weekend. I basically have multiple Fridays spread out during the seven days.
As is usually the case, dreary mental days (and atmospheric, man was it gray this afternoon) often call for very colorful, happy shares. We’ve got Cinco de Mayo coming up next week and some of you might be eyeballing a good pitcher drink to share with your pals by the poolside. Or, if your weather is shit, in the living room or on a covered patio.
This fresh, colorful Raspberry Limeade Sangria is about as au natural as you can get with an alcoholic bev. Fresh squeezed lime juice (don’t use a bottle or I’ll slap you), homemade raspberry simple syrup, a touch of good raspberry jam, and whole fruits color and flavor the classic wine-based drink. Super easy to mix up and guaranteed to go quickly at your gathering, so maybe double up on your grocery list so you have an emergency batch on hand.
Worse comes to worst, you can enjoy the second pitcher a day or so later as you relax at home watching silly movies.
El Sangre
Fun fact: apparently the EU differentiates proper sangria, which is Spanish and Portuguese by nature, from regional variations. It’s like the Queen’s English or something. Everything else is peasantry.
Whatever. Guess we’re peasants around here.
I double up on the raspberry essence with both a raspberry syrup and raspberry jam. As far as the syrup goes, the amount you made depends on how sweet you need your sangria. I was fine with 1/2 cup of sugar, but you might want up to 1.
To make the syrup, heat your sugar with an equal amount of water and 1 cup of raspberries on the stove until simmering. Let the mixture cook about 5 minutes, smashing the berries down as you go, then move the pot off the heat and let it cool. You can use this time to juice your limes and dust off that big drink pitcher that’s lurked in the back of your bar cabinet since Christmas.
Strain out the raspberry solids. You’ll have a nice pinky syrup after this. Then, combine the syrup with wine, rum, raspberry jam, and fresh lime juice in the pitcher. The great thing about sangria is you can use a pretty cheap and shitty wine without much consequence: I bought a $5 sauvignon blanc. If you like it sweeter, get a moscato. Stir it up until uniformly distributed. Then add in a big hit of fresh raspberries and a sliced lime.
Pop the pitcher in the fridge for a couple hours to let those flavors fuse and turn into something really beautiful. Hold your tears for the finish, please.
Fill Up That CUUUUUP
As you can tell, I like lots of boozy fruit in my sangria cup. You can fill as much or as little of your serving as you wish with the fruit in the pitcher.
Before you pour, give the sangria a good stir to recombine the components. The jam was a tendency to settle at the bottom due to its viscosity. Once it’s nice a distributed again, it’s time to drank! Responsibly. Please don’t drive.
I top of each glass with some plain sparkling water and fresh mint leaves. I usually don’t serve sangria with ice, but you can if you want. I don’t think there’s a rule against it. Well, maybe in the EU.
Of course, no Cinco de Mayo is complete without plenty of tacos. I’m thinking Crispy Salsa Verde Jackfruit Tacos or Crispy Jerk Shrimp Tacos with Coconut Pineapple Salsa. If you’re feeling a soft taco, why not Weeknight Spicy BBQ Shrimp Tacos or BBQ Pulled Mushroom Tacos with Tequila Mango Salsa.
Aaaaaand keep your eyes peeled for a fun and healthy appetizer coming next week. Olé!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Oh, you want a margarita, now?
raspberry limeade sangria
Ingredients
- 1 bottle sweet white wine
- 1 cup silver rum
- 1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (about 10-12 limes)
- 1/2-1 cup sugar
- 2 cups raspberries
- 1/2 cup high-quality raspberry jam
- 1 lime, sliced
- sparkling water, to top each glass
Instructions
- To make the raspberry syrup, combine the the sugar, 1/2 cup of water (use 1 cup if using 1 cup sugar), and 1 cup of raspberries in a sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and heat for 5 minutes, crushing the raspberries with a spoon to release the juices. Let cool, then strain out the solids through a fine-mesh sieve.
- In a large pitcher, pour in the wine, rum, lime juice, raspberry syrup, and raspberry jam. Add in the remaining 1 cup of raspberries and the sliced lime. Stir to combine.
- Cover and chill the sangria in the fridge at least two hours. You may need to stir the sangria to redistribute the jam. Then, pour into glasses and top with sparkling water and fresh mint.
