Drinks

Side Porch Sangria

Behold, the perfect sipper for porch-sitting season

March 11, 2019

Photo: Kelly Puleio

In her new book, Batch Cocktails: Make-Ahead Pitcher Drinks for Every Occasion, author Maggie Hoffman shares a recipe for a sangria riff that balances the juicy flavors of white wine with bracing Campari. “Boxed or bottled apricot juice rounds out the drink,” she writes. “For a lighter version, I like to top off the mix with a splash of chilled seltzer.”

Ingredients

Yield: 8 servings in a 2-quart pitcher
- ½ cup plus 2 tbsp. Aperol
- ½ cup plus 2 tbsp. Campari
- ½ cup plus 2 tbsp. Carpano Antica Formula sweet vermouth
- 1 750 ml bottle chilled dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
- ½ cup plus 2 tbsp. chilled apricot juice (such as Looza or Ceres)
- ½ cup fresh grapefruit juice
- Garnishes: grapefruit sliced into quarter-moons, fresh apricots pitted and sliced

Preparation

Pour Aperol, Campari, vermouth, and chilled wine into a 2-quart pitcher. If not serving immediately, seal well, covering with plastic wrap if needed, and refrigerate.

Up to 2 hours before serving, stir chilled apricot juice into pitcher mix. Prepare and add grapefruit juice, then stir and reseal, returning pitcher to refrigerator if not serving immediately.

To serve, add grapefruit and apricot slices, if desired, and stir well. Fill pitcher with ice and stir gently until outside of pitcher is cool. Serve immediately in ice-filled rocks glasses or wineglasses. Offer chilled seltzer to top off the drink, if desired.

CJ Lotz Diego is Garden & Gun’s senior editor. A staffer since 2013, she wrote G&G’s bestselling Bless Your Heart trivia game, edits the Due South travel section, and covers gardens, books, and art. Originally from Eureka, Missouri, she graduated from Indiana University and now lives in Charleston, South Carolina, where she tends a downtown pocket garden with her florist husband, Max.