A punchbowl filled with fruit and sangria creates a festive atmosphere.
Sangria is a festive wine punch that can be made from a variety of different ingredients. Aside from the red or white wine base, spices, sugar, fruit and other sweet alcohol is added to create an exotic cocktail. Preparing a large batch of sangria is an inexpensive option when planning a party. Colorful pitchers of fruit laden sangria can also be a decorative party accent.
Garnish Glasses
Spear sliced fruit on toothpicks or kabobs. Use apples, strawberries, blueberries, oranges, lemons, limes or skewer melon balls. The fruit can be frozen before placed into individual glasses to serve. Freeze fruit juice in ice cube trays for colorful cubes that the sangria can be poured over.
Garnish the sides of the glasses with sliced fruit before serving. Citrus fruits can be paired with white wine sangria, while apples work well with red wine based sangria.
Use a variety of glass sizes when serving sangria. Wine glasses are appropriate, but tall thin glasses, punch glasses, mugs or shot glasses can also be used.
Punch Bowl
Fill a punchbowl with sangria to serve at a party. Include a ladle so that guests can help themselves throughout the event. Add ice or frozen cubes of fruit juice to keep the drink consistently cool. Thinly sliced oranges, lemons and limes can float on top, while alcohol soaked berries and cut up peaches can be stirred into the bowl. Scoop up a few pieces of fruit while serving.
Warm Sangria
Spicy or apple flavored sangria can be served warm. Heat the sangria in a saucepan with a few slices of citrus fruit, apples and cinnamon sticks for an intense flavor. Include other spices such as nutmeg or vanilla beans to taste. Warm sangria can be served in mugs with a cinnamon stick or skewer with apple slices.
Gelees
Make an upscale version of the jello shot with sangria. Layer unflavored gelatin mixed with sweet wine with slices of grapefruit, oranges and lemons. After cutting into squares, these gem-like dessert shots can be placed on a serving platter and offered to guests.
Tags: oranges lemons, fruit juice, lemons limes, oranges lemons limes, sangria served