Berry Sangria (And Mocktail)
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A stunning mixed berry sangria that everyone can enjoy, spiked or alcohol-free! Bursting with fresh strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, this simple make-ahead recipe is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser and easily customizable.
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Bushel and Berry®.
MIXED BERRY SANGRIA (AND MOCKTAIL)
While I personally no longer drink and haven’t for a long time, I do still enjoy hosting, whether it be a holiday or a neighborhood moms’ night, and that often means I’m serving things that make everyone at my table feel taken care of. That means I’m not about to offer someone just a glass of water while everyone else has something beautiful and perhaps a little more interesting in their hand.
This berry sangria was born out of that exact motivation.
I wanted something that worked– really worked— whether you added wine or skipped it entirely. Not a watered-down afterthought of a mocktail, but something so good that the person skipping the alcohol genuinely doesn’t feel like they’re missing anything. After some testing and tweaking, this is that spot-on recipe.
IT STARTS WITH THE ORANGE SYRUP
The orange syrup is the backbone of this drink, which I took note from with traditional sangria (see this winter sangria and Halloween sangria for reference). A bright and citrusy orange base is a great pairing for a lot of different fruits, so it makes sense that you see it as a common denominator.
If you’re headed for a spiked version of this sangria, you can reach for triple sec or Cointreau. Both are orange-based liquors that will bring what we’re looking for to the flavor profile. You pick!
The homemade syrup is so simple: you’re just cooking down water, sugar, fresh orange juice, and zest into something fragrant and thick that does the heavy lifting flavor-wise and sweetness-wise. This is the thing that makes this sangria taste like more than just fruit in a glass.
If you do want to make the alcoholic version, start with ¼ cup and taste as you go. Buuuut I’d encourage you to try the syrup first– it’s genuinely wonderful.
THE FRUIT SITUATION
We’re loading up this sangria with fresh berries. I chose strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, but you’re welcome to add blackberries or any other berry of your choosing (or omit any of the ones I already mentioned).
While I’m typically a giant blackberry fan, I am not a fan of their seeds. I will instruct you in the recipe to strain your sangria if you’d like, so seeds might not be a factor for you, but it’s worth a mention in case straining just feels like an unnecessary additional step for you.
Sure, raspberries will spew their seeds into this berry sangria, but I find them a whole lot less offensive than blackberry ones.
I’ve grown Bushel and Berry® plants for years and was inspired by all of the berry varieties available to grow. From thornless raspberries, like Raspberry Shortcake®, to delicious blueberries and strawberries (I love ‘Perpetua’ and Scarlet Belle™), you could make this sangria using all homegrown fruit if you wanted!
You’ll need about 1 cup of each fruit (eyeballing is fine here). Half of your berries get macerated at the bottom of the carafe, smashed up just enough to release their juice and start flavoring everything around them. The other half goes in fresh when you’re ready to serve. This gives you both depth from the macerated fruit and brightness from the fresh, and the color it produces is absolutely stunning.
MAKE IT AHEAD (IT’S A MUST)
This is not a last-minute drink. It needs at least 12 hours in the fridge (overnight is ideal) and that time is what transforms it from “fruit in wine” into something that tastes intentional and layered. Plan ahead and you’ll be rewarded! It keeps for up to 5 days, so it’s also a great make-once, serve-all-week situation.
A NOTE ON STRAINING
Again, this is totally optional, but I strain mine. This is super simple! I just run the whole batch through a mesh sieve before adding the fresh fruit. If you don’t mind them, skip the step. Either way, the flavor is exactly the same.
HOW TO SERVE
Here’s where things get fun! Ice, no ice, sparkling water, just as is… I am a “ice and sparkling water” kind of gal, and here are my best suggestions:
If you are prepared to serve the sangria in one sitting, cut the whole carafe with sparkling water.
If you think folks might want to decide on their own whether or not they want bubbles in their sangria, serve the sparkles on the side.
If you want people to be able to choose their non-alcoholic or spiked adventure from the same batch, make the recipe as written below, then serve neutral liquors on the side: vodka, rum, gin.
OR! Lean into the orange and have triple sec or Cointreau available for extra splashes.
Or or orrrr! Grab some traditional wine or champagne to add to individual glasses.
Whatever way you make this berry sangria, it really is incredibly versatile and a great option for serving all sorts of beverage consumers in one sitting. That’s something I love about sangria! It has all the interesting things you want in an actual delicious mocktail but all the room for making it something a little extra if you want.
Personally, the nonalcoholic version of this sangria has already made an appearance at several of our social gatherings throughout the recipe testing phase, and I have a feeling it will show up again (and again).
Mixed Berry Sangria (And Mocktail) Recipe
Ingredients
ORANGE SYRUP
- 1 cup (240mL) water
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 4 ounces (120mL) fresh orange juice 2 large naval oranges
- zest of one orange
BERRY SANGRIA
- 1 cup quartered fresh strawberries approximately 6 large strawberries; divided
- 1 cup fresh raspberries divided
- 1 cup fresh blueberries divided
- 1 bottle (750mL) nonalcoholic red wine1
Instructions
ORANGE SYRUP
- Note: if you want to make a true sangria version, you can use triple sec or Cointreau. Start with ¼ cup (60mL) and add to taste, not exceeding ½ cup (120mL) total. If you are going this route, skip to the "berry sangria" section.
- Combine the water, sugar, orange juice, and orange zest in a small saucepan. Stir to combine.1 cup (240mL) water, ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar, 4 ounces (120mL) fresh orange juice, zest of one orange
- Heat the mixture over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so the mixture is simmering at a gentle boil. Allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the mixture thickens into a syrup. You are aiming for ¼ cup (60mL) of syrup. Set aside and allow to cool while you prepare the rest of the sangria.
BERRY SANGRIA
- Place ½ cup each of the strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries into a large carafe or pitcher. Reserve the remaining ½ cup of each fruit in the refrigerator.1 cup quartered fresh strawberries, 1 cup fresh raspberries, 1 cup fresh blueberries
- Use a potato masher (or similar) to roughly macerate the fruit in the bottom of the carafe. It's ok if there are some whole pieces, but aim to split each fruit at least in half.
- Add the orange syrup (or triple sec/Cointreau) and wine to the macerated fruit, then stir to combine. Allow the mixture to chill in the refrigerator at least 12 hours (overnight is fine).1 bottle (750mL) nonalcoholic red wine1
- When you are ready to serve the sangria, strain the mixture through a mesh sieve, if desired. Personally, I don't love the seeds in my sangria, but do what you prefer. Add the reserved fresh fruit, then serve in glasses cut with seltzer water, if desired. Sangria stays fresh in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
Notes
- Wine: if you want to use regular wine, pick a pinot noir.
- Berries: you can really use any berries you like here. I omitted blackberries only because their seeds are so large, and even in the strained version, the seeds could come out of the whole berries as the sangria sits. Use whatever you prefer.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.