Fridge Cleaning Sangria

Want to be the life of the party while cleaning out your fridge at the same time? I present to you: Fridge Cleaning Sangria. 

Ingredient categories:

• Wine
• Juice
• Sweetener
• Fruit
• Other Alcohol 

Start by evaluating how the contents of your fridge compare to the categories listed above. Personally, when I threw this together I had four partial bottles of wine (don’t ask), Triple Sec, some lemon, & some lime juice. Based on these ingredients, I needed items from both the fruit and sweetener categories. Therefore, when I went to the store, I bought fruit, juice (OJ), and sprite. 

Below, I break down each category to provide ideas of the specific ingredients you can use, and advice on deciding what will work best with what you have.  

Wine

The whole concept of this recipe is based on the idea that you have an abundance of wine sitting around. Maybe this is wine you did not originally enjoy or maybe you have several partial bottles already open. The wine will determine your flavor of Sangria – so start there! 

Juice

Juice is the key ingredient in turning your ordinary wine into extraordinary Sangria. Orange Juice will work great with red wines and is the most common juice people have readily available. However, if you have cranberry juice handy, think through what types of pairings taste great with cranberry. If you are struggling to determine which flavors work well together, think about cocktails. Cranberry, sprite, and vodka is a common cocktail that we all know and love.  Therefore, mixing cranberry juice with a white wine, and adding some lime juice will likely produce a great tasting beverage. 

Sweetener 

It’s likely that mixing the wine and juice alone will lead to a sour start. To fix this problem, a sweetener can be used to counteract the sour taste. This can very simply be sugar from the cupboard, or you can make it interesting by adding a sweetener such as sprite, like I used in my most recent batch. It’s also possible that the juice you used may make this step unnecessary, like cranberry cocktail or fruit punch. 

Fruit 

The addition of fruit is essential to making your sangria look pretty, but also can be a fun way to add some extra flavors. Oranges work great with most flavor combos, but lemons and limes will produce similar results. Lucky for us, whatever fruit you have sitting in your refrigerator will work, from berries to apples, as long as the flavor combos are right! I recommend soaking your fruit in one of the liquids you’re using overnight to bring out the fruit’s flavor.

Other Alcohol 

You can use anything, just make sure the flavors will work together! While making my most recent batch, my freezer contained Triple Sec and Fireball. Using my basic instincts, I knew that for the Sangria I was creating the Fireball was going to be a terrible choice. However, let’s say I had white wines and apple cider in my fridge, the Fireball would have been the perfect pairing.  

Taste Test

The most important part of this recipe is being sure to taste test the recipe as you go in order to decide what to add. Too sour? Add some juice or whichever sweetener you’re using. Taste too much like juice? Add more wine! Need to survive a dreaded event…..add vodka.