The Sangria Mistake That's Causing Your Fruity Batched Cocktail To Suffer

Just as soups and stews taste better the day after preparing them, it is often best practice to let pre-batched cocktails sit overnight to fully meld the flavors. However, when it comes to sangria, an overnight stint in the fridge could sabotage the project. We spoke with Erin Henderson, founder of The Wine Sisters, Toronto's leading sommelier services and wine events company, on a crucial mistake that will make or break pre-batched sangria.

As a blend of wine, juices, and other spirits, sangria is a party punch cocktail with potential for pre-batching, and Henderson is certainly a proponent. "I pre-batch sangria all the time ... BUT I leave out the fruit until serving," Henderson says. "Citrus will turn the sangria super bitter, thanks to the pith. Berries, if using, will get mushy and gross. And orchard fruits will turn brown and mealy." The fridge will preserve the freshness of the fruit juices, so Henderson recommends "mix[ing] your wine and spirit and even the juice up to a day before, but add the fruit last minute." If you don't have the time to chop up a bunch of fruit to throw in the pre-batched sangria, frozen fruit is the cheap, refreshing, and cooling upgrade your sangria needs.That said, certain fruits like apples and citrus don't lend well to freezing, so berries, cherries, and mangoes are your best bets.

Sangria isn't hard to throw together, and we have many different sangria recipes to satisfy all tastes and seasons, whether it's a classic red sangria or a summery white sangria with limoncello. But, despite sangria being a dump-it alcoholic punch, there are many more mistakes you might make throughout any given sangria recipe starting with choice of ingredients. Sangria is not a beverage you want to waste a bottle of fine wine on, as its distinct tasting notes and body will be lost when mixed with other spirits, juices, and fruits; but you should still look out for certain characteristics in the wine.

For example, a dry wine is the ideal foundation to temper the sweetness of fruit and fruit juice. If you want to add a sweetener, simple syrup is preferable to white sugar because it'll disperse more evenly instead of sinking to the bottom of the punch bowl. Another reason a long stint in the fridge is important is for making the sangria as cold as possible before serving it. Adding ice to a pitcher of sangria is the biggest mistake to avoid when setting up a sangria bar because it will dilute the flavors of the spirits and juices, ruining all that time it's spent developing those flavors. You can always serve ice on the side for guests to add to individual glasses.