Rosé Sangria

I’ve been wanting to do a rosé sangria for quite some time and when I tried a sparkling rosé for the first time, I just knew it would be perfect for my first foray into a sangria. It’s like sangria meets spritz! This nectarine sparkling rosé sangria is a refreshing summer cocktail perfect for brunch, backyard gatherings, or weekend sipping.

I never thought of buying a sparkling rose wine, but my husband surprised me with it once and boy am I glad he did. While I LOVE a good rosé, I’m not usually big on champagne or sparkling wine, so I didn’t know how well I’d like it. As it turns out, the bottle he brought home was much more rosé than champagne and I loved it. It was light, fruity, and the bubbles made it ideal for summer.

Rosé Sangria

In making a summer sangria, I wanted to include some yummy fresh seasonal fruit. Summer produce is full of so many good fruit options, but stone fruit is always a pleasant surprise.

And, if we’re being honest, I’ve made a strawberry sangria and another mixed berry sangria, so I wanted to try something new! I love peaches and nectarines both, but as I get older, I’ve realized that I might actually prefer nectarines. I think it’s the skin – I prefer less fuzz. What can I say?

Ok, so I put nectarines in this rosé because I’m in a place, but you could absolutely use peaches. I’ve provided some alternatives below to this sangria recipe, but that’s absolutely the big one for an easy alternative!

How to Make Sangria

Sangria is typically a combination of wine, fresh fruit, and, often, a liquor like brandy – a sweet, distilled something. Any combination of wine and fruit is a very common take on sangria. In order for the flavors of each ingredients to really merry and infuse, the mixture needs to sit together at least 2-3 hours before serving.

This is a magical time when the fruit releases juices in the the sangria drink itself and the alcohol infuse into the pieces of fruit for a lovely accompaniment to your summer sangria.

In this rosé sangria, the ginger beer is the fruit juice (it’s actually non-alcoholic) and I use cointreau for the liquor addition – a lovely orange flavor that isn’t too sweet or sugary. All that marries with the fresh nectarine slices.

Ingredients for rosé sangria

Rosé Brut

Just a bottle of sparkling rosé wine. If you’ve tried them before, get one that you like. One of the biggest mistakes people make with sangria is using a wine that isn’t enjoyable in and of itself. Since it’s the primary ingredient, wine is the important item to get right!

ginger beer

Ginger beer is different than ginger ale. Both are non-alcoholic, but ginger beer definitely has a stronger ginger flavor and is sweetened far less. Because you’re trying to infuse the whole pitcher of sangria, the stronger flavor of ginger beer over ginger ale is a must. I’ve used and liked Reed’s, Bundaberg, and Fever-Tree.

Cointreau

Cointreau is a brand of orange liqueur. It’s similar to triple sec (though far better in my opinion). You can read all about cointreau vs triple sec in my strawberry margarita on the rocks recipe!

Ripe Nectarines

You want to use ripe nectarines for this sangria. They’re so much more flavorful. And if you’re getting your nectarines at the farmers market, look for freestone nectarines – the fruit pulls easily away from the pit!

All nectarines (cling and freestone) are yummy and perfect in this sparkling sangria recipe. You may also have a choice between yellow or white nectarines – you can easily tell by looking at the skin (watch this video to see yellow vs white nectarines).

How to Make Rose Sangria

The best part about making sangria is that cutting the fruit is the hardest part of the whole process – well, and waiting! Sangrias are very easy to make and often take just a few ingredients…

Combine Ingredients

Combine the sparkling rosé wine, the ginger beer, and the cointreau in a large pitcher. Stir gently. Add in the the nectarines slices and stir gently once more.

Refrigerate

Refrigerate the sangria mix together for 2-3 hurs to chill completely and marry nicely. If you make the sangria too far ahead of time, the fruit will start to break apart. And while the alcoholic juice is yummy, the joy of a sangria is still being able to pick apart its various ingredients – in my opinion.

You can chill the mix longer than 2-3 hours without an issue, but 6-8 hours is probably the most I’d recommend.

What’s the best rosé for sangria?

A dry or brut sparkling rosé like a Provence-style work beautifully. The French perfected rosé, so I usually try to find a French varietal. This will balances the fruit flavor and the effervescence.

Variations to this Rosé Sangria

Sparkling rosé wine alternatives

If you don’t want to use sparkling wine, you could certainly use your favorite rosé. Or if you aren’t into rosé, then your favorite sparkling white wine would be great – I promise!

I’ll just reiterate that no matter the wine you use, make sure you’d want to drink it on its own.

Ginger Beer Alternatives

I know the question will come up – can I use ginger ale is place of ginger beer. Technically, yes, but the flavor will be very different. As I mentioned, ginger beer has a stronger ginger flavor and isn’t so sweet.

I you use a ginger ale in place of ginger beer, you’ll be getting a muted, sugary version of the drink. Deplorable? No. But not the same.

Cointreau alternatives

If you have triple sec, it’s probably fine to use it in this sangria recipe. The orange liqueur flavor isn’t super prominent, but if you have a choice, I would highly recommend the Cointreau brand.

Nectarine Alternatives

As I mentioned above, nectarines can easily be replaced with peaches here. But that’s really just the beginning. I think in summer you could easily do apricot slices, strawberry slices, and whole raspberries.

In fall, try persimmon slices, apple slices, and grapes. In winter, citrus slices would be great – namely orange and others you’d want to eat on their own. And spring, berries are your best bet!

Either way the orange liqueur is the perfect addition of slight sweetness and the ginger beer (non-alcoholic) adds such great flavor. It’s really what takes this drink from being a mix of ingredients to being a well-blended sangria!

If you have a mix of guests, offer this ginger beer mocktail or this peach lemonade (could use nectarines) alongside this sangria!

Try These Other Sangria Recipes

Want more sangria recipes? Other summer favorites include plum sangria, cantaloupe sangria, strawberry sangria, cherry sangria, and watermelon sangria!

For the cooler months, try raspberry sangria with thyme (made with frozen berries), kiwi & prosecco sangria, winter sangria made with white wine, and pomegranate Lambrusco sangria!

And don’t miss my brunch sangria – great any day of the year!