Virgin Sangria
Grape juice, orange juice, lemon and a bowlful of sliced fruit, chilled and topped with sparkling water. The pitcher mocktail for a party — Spanish in spirit, alcohol-free in fact, and better the longer the fruit sits.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Put the sliced orange, apple and lemon in a pitcher with the cinnamon stick if using.
Add the grape juice, orange juice, lemon juice and syrup, stir, and refrigerate for at least two hours so the fruit flavours the juice.
Just before serving, add the soda water and stir gently.
Pour into ice-filled wine glasses, spooning some fruit into each.
A thoughtful finish
- Unsweetened grape juice; the fruit and orange bring enough sugar.
- Chill it for hours — the fruit makes the drink.
- Add the soda at the table, not in advance.
Common mistakes
- Sweetened juice plus syrup, which is sugar water.
- Skipping the lemon; it is what keeps it from being flat.
- Serving it the minute it is made.
A few good questions.
What does a Virgin Sangria taste like?
Grape and orange with lemon and fresh fruit — a dry-ish fruit punch with sangria's shape.
Does it taste like sangria?
Close in spirit, not in fact; wine's tannin and dryness are missing, so the lemon matters more.
Red or white grape juice?
Red for a classic look; white for a white-sangria version with peaches and berries.
How far ahead?
Two to six hours; after a day the fruit goes soft.
Variations
- Sangria — Red wine, brandy, fruit and sugar.
- White Sangria — White wine with peaches and citrus.
- Virgin Bellini — Peach purée and sparkling grape juice.
- Watermelon Agua Fresca — Watermelon, lime and water.
Where it comes from
c. 1980s · United States
Sangria is Spanish red wine with fruit and a little brandy, a peasant drink that became the restaurant pitcher of the 1964 New York World’s Fair and every tapas bar since. The virgin version substitutes red or purple grape juice for the wine and lets the fruit do the rest — oranges, lemons, apples, berries — with a splash of sparkling water at the end for lift. It is not a close copy of sangria, which depends on the wine’s tannin and dryness; it is a fruit punch with sangria’s shape, and it needs lemon and a long chill to keep it from going sweet. Made a few hours ahead with good juice and fresh fruit it is the best alcohol-free pitcher there is.
Sources
- Difford's Guide, Virgin Sangria, 2012 (reference)
- Julia Bainbridge, Good Drinks, 2020 (book)
- Liquor.com, Non-Alcoholic Sangria, 2021 (reference)
A little character in every sip.
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