Drinks/ Recipes

pomegranate sangria

Do you have a sangria story? Let’s hear it!

My sangria story is this: when I was a senior in college, I lived in the cutest pink house next to a lake in downtown Charleston. The house was built in the early 1900’s, was slanted (really trippy after too many drinks) and all of our closets were in the living room. I lived with two other girls and it was like a fashion show every single day! I loved that house so much. So, so, so much. It was, hands down, the best house I’ve ever lived in despite having to sleep in sleeping bags in the hallway during the winter because the heat didn’t work in my room. Anyway! My good friend Lara and her boyfriend, Brian, lived just a few blocks away around the lake and on Friday afternoons in the Spring, I would walk over there and we would drink sangria on their porch until the sun set. I would bring over olive oil cake and Lara would make homemade gnocchi with the most delicious gorgonzola cheese sauce. Those were the DAYS!

Lara’s recipe for sangria came from her Spanish neighbors and this recipe (the result of me dumping different things in my kitchen together until it tasted wonderful—or until I couldn’t taste at all) bears no resemblance to that most authentic one.

All I know is that it’s delicious.

I’ve been wanting to make more fun drink recipes for the blog, ever since visiting my friends Morgan and Stephen over New Years who are waaay into mixology. I’m in no way, shape or form a mixologist or pro-cocktail maker—actually, I tend to freeze at bars when it’s my turn to order before stuttering something like rum and coke before slinking away, attempting to look busy and cool with my iphone out. I don’t even like rum and coke.

I don’t get out much.

I like white wine sangria because it’s nice and light. I also dumped ginger ale in my sangria and am not ashamed to admit it….along with orange juice, pomegranate juice and all the rum in my kitchen. Don’t like booze? Back in the day (like waaaaay back in the day), I posted a virgin sangria recipe I tried at a friend’s baby shower and it’s a great alternative.

Oh, and happy Monday!

Pomegranate Sangria

makes 1 pitcher

Print this recipe!

Ingredients:

1 bottleΒ rosΓ© or dry white wine

1 cup light rum

1 1/2 cups orange juice

1 cup pomegranate juice

2 cans ginger ale

orange slices, kiwi and pomegranate seeds for serving (optional but pretty)

Directions:

Mix together all ingredients and chill in the refrigerator for about four hours so the flavors can settle. Serve over ice with sliced fruit.

 

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  • Kathryn
    January 16, 2012 at 3:48 am

    I definitely want to get into drinking more fancy drinks this year and this looks like the perfect way to start!

  • Rebecca @ Naturally Healthy and Gorgeous
    January 16, 2012 at 4:09 am

    If only pomegranates weren’t so pricey!

  • Brittnie (A Joy Renewed)
    January 16, 2012 at 4:18 am

    Can you believe that I am 29 and have never tried sangria. It is one of those things I always say I want to try but then never order or never make at home. I am bookmarking this recipe for after I have my baby in May. πŸ™‚

  • Brooke @ Exercise For Fries
    January 16, 2012 at 4:34 am

    mmmm, can’t wait to make this in a few months. Sangria in the summer = perfection.

  • kristen @ verbs and vignettes
    January 16, 2012 at 4:36 am

    i’m so glad i’m not the only one that panics at the bar! i really do always order a something + diet coke. sometimes it’s what i want, other times, i just don’t want to be that girl looking at all the bottles for ten minutes while everyone else wandered away.

    i’ve never heard of adding rum to sangria. i’ll have to try it, i bet it’s delicious!

  • Jenn from Much to My Delight
    January 16, 2012 at 4:52 am

    This recipe looks and sounds awesome! Love the addition of pomegranate. Last time I made sangria, I simply dumped whatever half-drunk bottles of wine my dad had leftover in the fridge with some fruit and 7-up. Yours looks way more legit and less likely to produce the world’s worst headache.

  • Crystal
    January 16, 2012 at 4:56 am

    Colonial Lake? My running group meets there every Sunday! If you’re ever in town you are welcome to join us. Sometimes my 11 year old comes on her bicycle, you can borrow my pink beach cruiser if you want.

  • Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat
    January 16, 2012 at 5:05 am

    I’m totally with you on the whole freezing up at the bar thing. Luckily, I do like rum and coke so that’s my usual order! I haven’t had sangria in way way too long but I’m liking the sounds of this one. Might just have to have a party so I can make some! πŸ™‚

  • Em (Wine and Butter)
    January 16, 2012 at 5:35 am

    Wow – Sangria stories sound way more civilised than tequila stories!!
    We had ginger-ale with gin twice this weekend (with your pulled chicken on Saturday, which was so so good!). As weird as it sounds gin and gingerale is actually really good. Gingerale is clearly a good drink!

  • Molly @ RDexposed
    January 16, 2012 at 5:38 am

    I’ve never had sangria! (I can hear everyone’s gasps!)

  • Katrina
    January 16, 2012 at 5:50 am

    These make me so happy! They look so yummy!

  • Lauren @ What Lauren Likes
    January 16, 2012 at 5:58 am

    favourite drink hands down! Haha lovee it πŸ˜€

  • JENNA
    January 16, 2012 at 6:15 am

    ohhh wow. what a dreamy college life you had!! πŸ™‚

    this looks so refreshing!

  • Emily (Edible Psychology)
    January 16, 2012 at 6:15 am

    Looks delicious, and I love your photos! These drinks are especially appealing on a cold, icy day. A taste of sunshine and warmth!

    ~Emily~

  • Anne
    January 16, 2012 at 6:27 am

    Looks good. I prefer red sangria, with dark rhum and a splash of grand marnier πŸ˜‰

  • joelle (on a pink typewriter)
    January 16, 2012 at 6:36 am

    Haha I love that – “i don’t even like rum and coke.” I tend to feel the same at bars! Beer and wine I know, that’s it.

  • Lee
    January 16, 2012 at 6:38 am

    I am like that too when I try to order a mixed drink (which isn’t often). The only thing that I ever order is vodka soda with a splash of cranberry juice.

  • kaitlin @4loveofcarrots
    January 16, 2012 at 6:42 am

    Sangria is the way to my heart! This looks so delicious and I’m loving the table cloth de decoration you used!

  • Leslie Means @ Her View From Home
    January 16, 2012 at 6:44 am

    Love this pics – as usual. Makes me wish it was spring! And…what is Olive Oil Cake?!?!

  • Heather Michelle @ A Sweet Simple Life
    January 16, 2012 at 6:45 am

    yum! and great story. sounds like something out of a book.

  • Alyssa
    January 16, 2012 at 6:59 am

    I think a sangria is the perfect way to start the week :). Thanks for the recipe!

  • Kelli H (Made in Sonoma)
    January 16, 2012 at 7:01 am

    Looks great! I love sangria with white wine way more, too.

  • amy walters, aDESIGNdock
    January 16, 2012 at 7:14 am

    This looks fabulous Jenna. Those photos have me sold. Love that they make me think of spring and summer….instead of mid January πŸ˜‰

  • Sara Nickel
    January 16, 2012 at 7:14 am

    Since giving up beer, it so hard for me to think of what I want when I order drinks at a bar. I also turn into a bit of a clam when ordering. This sangria looks so vibrant! Sangria reminds me of spending summer evenings visiting my best friend from high school. She once bought a cheap wine that was sort of crummy tasting. I said, let’s make sangria and the rest is now a fond memory. My recipe can be located on my blog as well if you ever are feeling like a peachy sangria:)

  • Urban Wife
    January 16, 2012 at 7:15 am

    Yum, yum, yum! I love sangria so much it hurts.

  • Hilliary @Happily Ever Healthy
    January 16, 2012 at 7:41 am

    Yum, sangria is one of my favorites! This sounds delicious!

  • Lindsay @ Pinch of Yum
    January 16, 2012 at 7:41 am

    Pretty colors! I studied abroad in Spain so I have a special spot in my heart for Sangria. πŸ™‚

  • kathleen @ the daily crumb
    January 16, 2012 at 8:20 am

    i don’t have a very good sangria story other than the fact that i am totally and completely obsessed with it. a good tapas restaurants with pitchers of red sangria is my ideal night out. can’t wait to try this version!

  • Kristen @ Popcorn on the Stove
    January 16, 2012 at 8:25 am

    This looks like such a wonderful drink for the Summer – or at least when it gets warm out. I don’t drink a lot either, but I really do love a good sangria (or anything that tastes fruity).

  • alyse costa
    January 16, 2012 at 8:31 am

    i love sangria, charleston, and colonial lake! (and all the cute houses around it.)

  • Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie
    January 16, 2012 at 9:03 am

    No sangria story for me :-(. But this looks yummy!

  • Cait's Plate
    January 16, 2012 at 9:20 am

    I absolutely adore sangria. I could completely get on board with this.

  • Mary @ Bake Break
    January 16, 2012 at 9:31 am

    What fun, colorful pictures! Sounds yummy and summery (I say this with snow falling heavily out here!).

  • Liz
    January 16, 2012 at 10:05 am

    Yum! On this freezing day when it is 11 degrees (probably the highest temp it will be today) this puts me in a summer state of mind!

    A great wine to make sangria with is tawny port. It takes everything up to a whole ‘nother level. And I love the idea of rum in it! It would make it taste more tropical. I usually use vodka or brandy.

  • Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga
    January 16, 2012 at 10:37 am

    Sangria on a Monday morning sounds like a perfect fit to me πŸ™‚ Why pour coffee, just keep the weekend going, and pour…sangria!

    It looks so bright and cheery.

    Sangria stories? Yes plenty. Spring Breaks. Cancun. Say no more.

  • Maria
    January 16, 2012 at 11:13 am

    Such a pretty drink!

  • Deanna B.
    January 16, 2012 at 11:19 am

    I love sangria. Next time you’re at a bar, order a Sidecar. It tastes like a grown up lemon drop, but it gets you some street cred with the bartenders because it isn’t a lemon drop.

  • Cookin' Canuck
    January 16, 2012 at 11:35 am

    Don’t you love when certain drinks or food can instantly transport us back to a great time in our lives? My sangria story involves far too much drunken debauchery, so I will spare you. This pomegranate version looks fantastic!

  • Angela @ Happy Fit Mama
    January 16, 2012 at 12:38 pm

    Sangria story? Can’t repeat it ’cause I don’t remember much about it!

    I laughed at your bar story. I’m the same way – malibu and OJ please. How boring!

  • Tara@Sugar Spice and Bacon
    January 16, 2012 at 2:53 pm

    I love Sangria! It is a perfect drink for parties because I can make big batches AND use the inexpensive wine and nobody notices πŸ™‚

  • Gina @ Running to the Kitchen
    January 16, 2012 at 2:58 pm

    Ha, that is totally me at the bar too. I need to find “that” drink that can become my go to drink but it has to be something cool. I still haven’t found it…

  • Sonia the Mexigarian
    January 16, 2012 at 3:29 pm

    In the words of my friend Daniel, “PAAAAAARTY!”

    love it. will make it for the Niners game this weekend. Tailgate or party at a house, I know this will be a hit πŸ™‚

    Jenna—I definetly suggest checking out bars like The Single Barrel (downtown san Jose) or something closer to you Like Bourbon and Branch. These are Prohibition esque bars so the lighting is mute and the atmosphere quiet. You have to speak easy while there πŸ™‚

    At the single barrel, the mixologist asks you questions of what you may be in the mood for. Sweet or savory? Vegan or non? Etc. From there they mix up a drink to your liking. No rum and cokes! πŸ˜€ I have enjoyed every single drink they have made me.

    I am no sure if Burbon and Branch does the same, but I have heard nothing but good things about it from friends. I have yet to go myself, but definetly want to check it out sometime I am in the city.

    • jenna
      January 16, 2012 at 3:30 pm

      thanks so much for the tip! πŸ™‚

  • Lauren @ onegirl'sbalance
    January 16, 2012 at 6:51 pm

    This sounds delicious. I’m totally making it! The last time I drank sangria was actually at a restaurant called Sangria in St. Pete, Florida, on vacation…oh how I wish I was there right now….

  • Stephie @ Eat Your Heart Out
    January 17, 2012 at 7:45 am

    When I was studying in Madrid, I certainly had my share of sangria. My favorite was at this bar called El Tigre – with every drink you ordered (and they were HUGE drinks), you also got a plate of tapas. Sangria and tapas – doesn’t get any better than that.

  • nichole (eat & be pretty)
    January 17, 2012 at 1:40 pm

    ooo this sounds delishh. and i love the little story about your house in Charleston. It’s my favorite place in the whole wide country! (I’m actually going this weekend woot woot)

  • Anna
    January 17, 2012 at 6:21 pm

    Where where where is that table cloth from? It might be the most enticing table cloth and/or some-other-magical-object I have seen. Can you tell me where it is from? Thanks!

    • jenna
      January 17, 2012 at 6:30 pm

      It’s just some cheap fabric from Beverly’s πŸ˜‰

  • blood orange italian soda β€” Eat, Live, Run
    January 19, 2012 at 3:53 am

    […] is a fun activity for a rainy wintery day….sort of like the sangria! I must be incredibly thirsty or something lately… and just you wait! I have yet another […]

  • shelly
    January 20, 2012 at 6:44 pm

    Can I sub rum with anything else? or just leave it out? this looks great, but I dont think Celiacs can have rum? but I could be wrong..

  • la paloma β€” Eat, Live, Run
    January 23, 2012 at 3:38 am

    […] remember when I was saying last week how I’m incredibly socially awkward at bars, never know what to order and end up with an icky […]

  • Brittany
    June 1, 2012 at 3:01 pm

    The first time I had Sangira was in Rome right out of HS. My aunt and I were tired of Italian food and we ate at a Spanish restraunt. It was the most delicious Sangira! I have loved it ever since!

  • andi
    February 4, 2013 at 4:56 am

    How does yours get so red? My friend made it and it wasnt that red.

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