Super Simple Lambrusco Sangria

Here’s how we’re drinking red wine this summer:  with orange soda and ice. 

I first had this easy-drinking red wine cocktail years ago in Austin, Texas at the Hotel San Jose. Now every time the deepest summer days rolls around and the hot wind loses a bit of its humidity, I find myself craving this sparkling and lightly fruity drink. 

It’s a little bit sweet and a touch dry and really very drinkable this time of year.   

We’re doing ice in our wine.  We’re doing orange soda in our wine.  We’re making up the rules and breaking them when we want to ok?  It’s too hot not to. Let me convince you. 

This punch is super simple!  You’ll only need a few things.  This might require a trip to the wine store, but good news!  It’s so nice to get to know your local wine store folks. 

The thing I hope for from my wine store folks is that they know more about wine than me… and really, that’s not hard.  Buying a bottle of wine is about knowing the adjectives to describe what you’d like to taste in your wine and asking questions to the right person.  From my Lambrusco I’m looking for something dry and not too sweet.  

Lambrusco is two things:  a variety of grape and a type of red wine.  It’s Italian and the grapes are grown in Emilia-Romana and Lombardy.   Lambrusco is a lightly sparkling red that is usually served chilled which makes it fit right into these summer months.    In the states, Lambrusco has a reputation for being a cheap red but that’s why we’re headed to the wine store.  Even at a wine store, a cost-conscious Lambrusco will be miles better than the grocery store variety.  

My favorite way to drink Lambrusco is with pizza but really there are no wrong answers here.  

This post with my friend Whitney will offer you some wine store encouragement – Pro Tips: Ask a Sommelier. 

Now it’s just a matter of pouring everything together. 

Clear out a pitcher and call your friends.  Pour the bubbly Lambrusco into the pitcher followed by the clementine soda.  

I like to add a can of sparkling water.  Bonus points if it’s orange flavored, ya know? 

Add ice and orange slices.  

Pour over ice. Throw in an orange slice.  Taste it just to make sure you love it and share! 

A summer red!  It’s fruity but not too sweet, great for a crowd when you might want to stretch a bottle of wine to serve more than a few.