How do you quench the thirst of a hungry crew without spending all day behind the bar? A few pitchers of pre-made, chilled Sangria. The best thing about whipping up Sangria is that you can put together a pitcher or three the night before and pour after your guests arrive.

Customize this cocktail to fit your favorite flavor profile.  If you enjoy  peaches add peach schnapps or peach vodka and fresh or frozen peaches. Watermelon flavor? Do the same. In fact you can use nearly any flavor of vodka or schnapps and toss in your desired fruit. Keep in mind we are creating a “white” sangria today, and are keeping the “spirit” flavors light.

Since the wine will not be the focus of what you are tasting,  save what’s in your cellar for another time. When it comes to wine for sangria, look to quantity, not quality.

The best thing about a simple sangria is you can use whatever fruit you have on hand or is in season.  This recipe is all about celebrating Independence Day, so we are keeping the colors patriotic with red, white and blue hued additions.

For the red, strawberries are the perfect addition. Blue, blueberries and the whites are apples, pears or pineapple. Cut in half, remove the core gently and use different sized star cookie cutters to cut out the white star shapes. How much fruit you use in your sangria is a personal choice. You may want to use 3/4 of your fruit to stir in and chill overnight, while freezing your remaining fruit ( strawberries and blueberries only ) to use instead of ice the following day so your cocktail stays chilled, but doesn’t get watered down.

One bottle of wine, makes about 8 servings of sangria. Pour all of the ingredients together and stir well, chill for at least four hours. Chill and save the ginger ale or sparkling wine for later.