A playful mix of white wine, mandarins and herbs make this White Sangria our new spring fave.
About the cocktail
When you think of Sangria, we’d wager you think of giant red jugs full of chunky fruit bits and loads of ice. And while that's the traditional way of serving up Sangria, it's not the only way. In fact, there are many different ways to make a Sangria, some bougier than others. Today, it’s all about Mandarin White Sangria. Unlike traditional Sangria, which is often made to mask a cheap red wine or revive a wine past its prime, White Sangria is all about good quality ingredients. We recommend a rich chardy (or chenin) as the base for its bigger, riper, more tropical fruit flavours. Because we want it to feel lighter, instead of adding brandy, we’ve added a good swig of limoncello to the punch base for some acidity and zing. Now, let’s talk about botanicals. Instead of the ‘anything goes’ approach of most red Sangrias, we’ve picked fruits and herbs that will complement the wine’s flavour base. Dried apple pieces, mandarin segments (halved lengthways), bunches of sage, lemon thyme and half a vanilla pod pick up and exaggerate all those beautiful flavours of your rich white wine of choice making for a fresh, zesty, herbaceous mix. And while the dried apple and fresh vanilla take this recipe to the next level, they’re absolutely omittable if you’re on a budget. Feel free to get creative with what you’ve got on hand – Sangria is made for experimenting. When choosing a bubbly element for your Mandarin White Sangria, it's important to consider your base flavours. You could opt for straight soda water for a lighter taste, or you could mix in a passionfruit soda (like Passiona) to top it off. Why passionfruit? It’ll nestle in well with that chardy’s vanilla and ripe fruit flavours. If you want to give our Mandarin White Sangria recipe a go, have a squiz at our top tips below.
Ingredients
700mL white wine (richer styles work best, such as chardonnay or chenin blanc)
80mL limoncello 12-15 mandarin segments, halved lengthways 1 bunch sage 1 bunch lemon thyme (or regular thyme, plus zest of one lemon) Optional: handful of dried apples Optional: half a vanilla pod 100mL soda water or passionfruit soda (or more/less to taste) Garnish: lemon twist, sage leaf
Method
Bundle your herb bunches together with twine
Add all your ingredients to a jug or punch bowl, stir to combine, then let it sit in the fridge so the flavours can integrate (you can certainly serve it immediately in a pinch, but it does benefit from a couple of hours chilling in the fridge) When you’re ready to serve, chuck in a good helping of cubed ice, and remember there’s no such thing as too much Pour into a glass to serve and garnish with a lemon twist and sage leaf
Dan's top tips
Sangria is super malleable, so if you prefer more bubbles or more limoncello in the mix, you can add more to suit your taste. The same goes for fruit and wine. Speaking of fruit, make sure you cut your mandarin segments lengthways so you get more of that beautiful citrusy mandy juice in your Sangria. When adding your herbs, be sure to tie them together so they don’t break and disperse through your cocktail. They are there for flavour, not for swallowing. And trust us, picking bits of lemon thyme out of your teeth isn’t fun. That’s pretty much it! Just make sure you chuck in a bunch of nice cubed ice, throw on some flamenco, and you’ll be laughing.
image credits: Shelley Horan (photography), Bridget Wald (styling).
