There is a thing in the world… it’s called Really Bad Sangria. ย This is not that.
Really Bad Sangria is a mixture of ย cheap red wine (not cool, but not a crime), sliced oranges (fairly benign), and grapes (questionable, but tolerable). ย The combination of bad wine and boring fruit… that’s Really Bad Sangria.
Let’s talk about Really Good Sangria!
Really Good Sangria is pink. ย Really Good Sangria contains fruit that feels like a treat! ย See: watermelon and fresh strawberries. ย Really Good Sangria is layered with wine, and vodka, and lemon or orange liquor. ย Really Good Sangria is REALLY GOOD! ย This is that.
It’s the weekend! ย Get at that melon!
Dreamy dreams!
This sangria is a muddled mixture of the following radness:
– ย fresh strawberries ย – ย watermelon juice from fresh watermelon ย – ย great pink wine ย – ย vodka ย – ย limoncello (or cointreau) ย – ย fresh lime juice and slices ย – ย and fresh orange juice and slices.
Let’s do it!
Toss a few strawberries in the jar. ย What could go wrong?
Mish-mash. ย Smish-smash.
Pour in that pink wine. ย The whole bottle. ย Don’t you be shy.
Pour in four cups of fresh watermelon strawberry juice.
This juice smells better than anything ever.
Yea… we’re adding vodka.
We’re also adding a nice dose of limoncello (or cointreau). ย Whatever you have on hand.
As long as the mixture stays pink, you can toss it in. ย We’re vain about our sangria.
After adding a splash of orange juice, lime juice and all sorts of sliced fruit, we’re allowed to call this giant jug sangria. ย It’s sweet and summery. ย It’s boozy and pink. ย What more do we need? ย (Don’t say chocolate… mostly because you’re right.)
Grab the ice and a big ol’ glass. ย We’re worth it.
Thank you to Jon for styling mo-jo, pouring skills, and being my partner in sangria consumption.
Watermelon Strawberry Citrus Sangriaย
makes a big bunch
4 cups watermelon juice, from one small watermelon
1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 bottle Rose wine, not too sweet is best
1 cup vodka
1 cup limoncello or Contreau
juice of 2 oranges
juice of 1 lime
1 orange sliced
1 lime sliced
Slice a watermelon into large chunks. ย Reserve a few smaller chunks for the sangria jar and for garnish. ย Blend watermelon chunks with a handful of sliced strawberries until smooth. ย Depending on the size of your blender, you may need to blend the fruit in two batches. ย Strain fruit juice through a fine mesh strainer and into a large measuring cup. ย You’ll need about 4 cups of watermelon/strawberry juice.
In a large container stir together, watermelon/strawberry juice, wine, vodka, limoncello, orange juice, and lime juice. ย Stir in the remaining sliced strawberries, a few watermelon chunks, sliced oranges, and sliced lime. ย Chill thoroughly before serving. ย Serve over ice. ย
115 Responses
I make this every year for my annual Motherโs Day brunch. I love this sangria and how itโs not sweet, but has tons of flavor. Thank you for posting this and giving my family something to look forward to every year!
This sounds so refreshing right now! Even though it’s fall, I still crave watermelon!
Can the orange juice be replaced with another juice?
I want to nose dive into this … watermelon is finally right for the picking. Time to head to the ABC (alcohol) store again.
This looks lovely- do you think it would work with raspberries?
Would this be good with peach flavored vodka?? I’m a sangria novice, and I happen to have peach vodka on hand. I’d hate to be the one who brings Bad Sangria to a cookout. :D Your thoughts?
Yeah, sure, go for it!
Looks delicious! Any recommendation on the Rose to use?
Joy, where did you get that GORGEOUS muddler?! I was just thinking yesterday (as I was staring at my mint plant) that I need a muddler for summer cocktails!
This looks so yummy! I’m a sangria+ watermelon lover. This looks amazing. I will definitely try it.
Forgot the strawberries but used a mango instead. And Grand Marnier. Pureed watermelon rather than just the juice, and used a couple drops of mint EO. Pure yum!
Soo cool!! I’m going to pre-make fruit juice ice cubes to go with this awesome Sangria!
Made this yesterday for a graduation–amazing! Loved eating the boozy fruit too!
Cannot wait for summer to be here so I can try this recipe! LOVE Sangria
I made this for a Fourth of July party this weekend, and it was FABULOUS. Not too sweet–just super fruity and delicious, and the most gorgeous color! Thanks for a great summer drink recipe :)
Does anyone know if limoncello spoils? I made this sangria last summer (huge hit with my friends!) and the same bottle of limoncello has been sitting in my freezer since. Is it still good to use, or should I spring for a new one?
I loooove this sangria!! I wanted to ask where your masher is from…I absolutely love it! It looks like a super handy tool!
This is crazy good. I didn’t strain or muddle the fruit – just blended it in a VitaMix. Boozy heaven. Went down almost too quickly. Almost. Thanks Joy!
This is crazy good. I blended the fruit in a VitaMix and didn’t strain it. Super crazy boozy goodness. Went down almost too easily. Thanks, Joy!
Hi Joy! I just made that picture of the watermelon hunk my desktop background, it’s so clean and refreshing looking. Have you ever made any of your photos available for wallpapers? If you’re taking requests, I’d love to decorate my electronics with your beautiful pictures. If I may be so bold as to further request something with rainbow sprinkles like that toast picture you have near your desk, that would brighten up my day :)
hugzzzz,
Liz
Made this twice over the weekend. The watermelon juice makes this so delicious. This is a keeper for sure.
My friend and I made this for our beach day yesterday. This sangria totally rocks! Such a great flavor combination!
Made this and it was awesome!!! So easy to make and what a great sangria. I was worried it may be too sweet, but it was just perfect. What a great summer drink. I used a medium watermelon and had left over “juice” so I froze the leftover juice to make this again in a flash. I used homemade lemoncello.
Love the watermelon addition to pink sangria! Just wondering, where did you get your wooden muddler? It’s delightful.
Thanks! Aly
Whoa. Two comment-girl. Geeeesh.
the muddler is a super vintage piece i borrowed from a friend. gorgeous!
Thanks Joy! Have to hit some antique shops. :)
Looks Fabulous… We Have Been On A Sangria Kick Lately And This Will Be Great To Add To The List :)
Where Did You Get Your Muddler?
Also, Apologies For The Weird Caps. On My Husband’s Phone.
Thanks! -Aly
Love this idea!!
Love the glasses and vessels too!
This looks absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to try and make a batch this weekend!
Great idea for juice. It was in July and August Arbus and other berries our body really wants. Thanks for the idea! However, never tried to push the watermelon juice.
Very delicious! Bring on summer!
Get right out of town.
I absolutely LOVE sangria and this flavor combination sounds amazing!
So much love for this. Don’t you be shy! Ok. Have been wanting a rad sangrai recipe to follow. & this one has limoncello or cointreau in it and that is rad. Thanks!
Heidi xo
Drinking this as I type – it is AMAZING! Love you Joy and loved meeting you when you were in Boston last winter. Can’t wait for your next book!
And this must be why I have disliked sangria, because it has been done improperly. I tried some this summer (vowing to give anything at least a second shot), and it wasn’t too bad. It put me on a quest to find the perfect sangria recipe.
Well Joy, I’m a thinking your recipe is it!
Wow! This sounds heavenly! Deff going to have to try this out. :)
Beautiful pictures!!
I love watermelon. It’s got to be one of the best things ever.
And strawberries, too! It would be awful to live without those two.
Everything is great with watermelon!
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Totally loving this! We always use rose wine for sangria. It’s the best!
I bet my dad would love this…. He likes the fruity drinks haha.
What brands of liquor did you use? I’m unsure of what type of rose wine to purchase.
I don’t really have a go-to brand, but I would recommend a rose wine that’s not too sweet. Depending on where you purchase your wine, the sales person might be able to help navigate you to a good choice. I know both Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s have really knowledgeable clerks. I hope this helps!
Looks amazing! I need this in my life :)
XO
This pink sangria is so perfect for the summer. I can imagine how well watermelon and strawberry go together!
This looks so good- definitely going to try it!
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xx
Adding watermelon to sangria = summer genius. I’d like to dive right into that jug!
Ugh I won’t say really bad sangria is the worst, but is definitely disappointing. This looks perfect, I love the watermelon juice. Yumm
oh yes, love this pretty pink drink!
This will be my weekend treat. I looove sangria!
I want sangria, I want watermelon and I want to go on holiday and laze on white beaches! Dammit I am so needy!
Top-Notch Sangria for sures…but these pics are some oil-painting-worthy, still life gorgeous!! Yum and Yum!!(:
Watermelon is just the best!
where are these amazing glasses from?
I think they were a vintage find.
I was just going to ask about the glasses. The sangria? No big deal. The glasses? Wow! They are what I’ve been looking for all my life.
Love this post!! And beautiful photos! My husband isn’t a drinker, but sometimes I can convince him to sip something fruity. Can’t wait to try this before the summer is gone!
So many fun summer flavours in here joy! this sounds awesome!
It seems to be THE PERFECT SUMMER DRINK !
Great!!!! I am fron Spain, Sangria comes from Spain & Portugal. I love Sangria and I love yours!!!!
YES. This looks divine. A perfect summer sangria!
This looks sooo good.
My friend does something very similar, it’s so delicious! xx
Martyna | NEON MIZZLE
Sangria is one of my favourite drinks and you are so right, it has to be done properly! This version looks amazing. Perfect for warm summer evenings. :)
Oh I would love this. Me and this, would be BFFs :) I know it’s probably not technically sangria is I swapped the rose wine for rose champagne but that sounds good to me, too. But exactly as you have it, watermelon, strawberries, oranges, Contreau, yes please!
Oooh, gorgeousness. The limoncello idea is killer.
perfect… using this for next weekend’s fireworks party on the deck!
I hate really bad sangria, and this is not THAT…It’s Friday night and I could one of that.
I love a Really Good Sangria, and this one sounds fantastic! I don’t typically associate watermelon with sangria, but I definitely want to try this.
I’m always on the quest for good sangria. This sounds DELICIOUS and not just cause I’ve been drinking my own for hours tonight. Watermelon= awesome.