Turn Your Sangria Tropical For Your Next Pitcher

For those who like wine-based drinks, sangria makes a wonderful batched cocktail to entertain a crowd. If you're wondering what's really in sangria, the popular punch is made from a base of wine mixed with spirits and fresh fruits. Though often made with red wine, sangria is endlessly customizable and can also be prepared with white wine, rosé, or other styles. The next time you're planning to make a pitcher, try transforming a typical sangria recipe with tropical flavors. You can easily do this by changing up different elements of the cocktail including the wine, spirits, fruit, and more.

Take a citrusy white wine sangria recipe, for example. This calls for dry white wine, apples, oranges, brandy, orange liqueur, orange juice, and a topping of seltzer. Give this a tropical twist by using POG juice — that's passion fruit, orange, and guava — in place of the orange juice. Similarly, instead of a topping of plain seltzer, try a splash of pineapple soda or flavored seltzer.

You can also get creative with your choice of fruits and spirits. Try cutting up chunks of fresh mango, kiwi, and pineapple to add to the sangria. As far as spirits go, use a pineapple liqueur or a tropical flavored schnapps. The fun isn't limited to just this, though. It's easy to serve up your sangria with extra tropical flair.

Making a pitcher of tropical-style sangria is simple and delicious. Regardless of the wine base you choose to use, you can find plenty of suitable fruits, spirits, and seltzers to tie all the flavors together with plenty of tropical goodness. It's just as easy to mix up a non-alcoholic version with a base of pineapple juice, fresh kiwi, and coconut-flavored soda (or just coconut water). Or, try this refreshing summery watermelon sangria recipe using alcohol-removed sauvignon blanc and a tropical fruit-infused simple syrup in place of the Grand Marnier.

When it comes to serving, let the overall taste profile of your sangria inform the tropical accents. If you like your sangria with a kick of heat, try adding Tajín to the rim of your glasses before pouring the cocktail in. You can also use a skewer of pineapple and pickled jalapeño as a garnish. Instead of a glass, you could always use a hollowed out coconut or pineapple for even more of a tropical vibe. You can also mix up ice cubes with frozen fruit juice cubes and small pieces of cut-up frozen tropical fruits for a vibrant and delicious addition to keep your sangria cool. This refreshing drink is what you make of it.