Serves a Crowd

Summer White Sangria with Pink Peppercorns

June 23, 2011
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves several
Author Notes

My father made the best Sangria in the world. And that was because he used fruit from our farm, picked early in the morning, exactly ripe. He used oranges, lemons, peaches, plums, sometimes a cantaloupe if available and ripe. He used these fruits as they are the juicier fruits available – this is the success behind a good Sangria.
He used red wine and sparkling water, never ever 7Up or Sprite. All the flavour came from the fruit, not some soda can loaded with sugar and additives.
I am sure all of you know how to make red wine Sangria so I will skip the recipe.
This is a white Sangria, idea which I got from Gigi, a restaurant on the beach in Algarve, where they make an amazing refreshing Sangria with white wine or Sparkling wine. I have tweaked it here and there to my taste, but as I said previously, the success to this recipe is really to use fresh ripe fruit that is juicy and obviously a good wine.
No matter what we eat during summer vacation, whether inside or outside, this is always my favourite drink.
Maria Teresa Jorge

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 4 juicing oranges (the smaller type)
  • 2 medium lemons
  • 2 ripe white flesh peaches
  • 1 nectarine
  • 2 ripe plums, the juicier type
  • 1/2 cantaloupe
  • 6 tablespoons muscovado sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 12 mint leaves
  • 2 teaspoons pink peppercorns crushed
  • 2 bottles good dry white wine (eg. Pinot Grigio) or Sparkling wine
  • 750 milliliters soda water (half if using Sparkling wine
  • 50 milliliters Gin – optional if you want more kick to the Sangria
  • ice cubes
Directions
  1. Wash all the fruits and prepare them, putting them in a large bowl: Cut the oranges and lemons in slices. Remove stones from peaches and nectarine and cut in pieces, leaving the skin on.. Remove skin and seeds from melon and cut in pieces. Cut the flesh from the plums.
  2. Add the muscovado sugar, the cinnamon, the pink peppercorns, the mint leaves and the white wine and leave to macerate ½ hour.
  3. Add the sparkling water, gin if using, ice cubes. Stir very well and transfer to serving jugs.
  4. Note: Please, please, please, don’ use a bad wine – you will be drinking it! White wine has little body, so a poor white wine is not good at all. Also, don’t use a sweet wine, it’s the fruit that should be the star of the show, not the sugar content of the Sangria - if using a sweet wine you’ll end up with a syrup rather than a summer drink. Think the difference between a freshly squeezed lemonade and a 7Up!
  5. NOTE 2 - VERY IMPORTANT - DO NOT USE WATERMELON - It is extremely indigestive combined with wine.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Lizthechef
    Lizthechef
  • Sagegreen
    Sagegreen
  • Maria Teresa Jorge
    Maria Teresa Jorge

11 Reviews

Lizthechef July 18, 2011
Your recipe was selected by Oprah's online blog, I guess, for sangria recipes. Food52 tweeted about it but I can't find the link for you. Perhaps email food52?
 
Maria T. July 18, 2011
Thanks for the explanation Lizthechef. Now I understand, I just couldn't figure out what you and Sagegreen were talking about. Many thanks.
 
Sagegreen July 18, 2011
I love the Algarve, too. It was my first visit to Portugal!
 
Maria T. July 18, 2011
And there are parts that are still so untouched by man, like the beach in this photo. It's delicious, I'm hoping to go there now soon, even if just for 2 days.
 
Lizthechef July 18, 2011
I missed this - congrats on making Oprah!
 
Sagegreen July 18, 2011
Oprah? Wow, congrats!
 
Maria T. July 18, 2011
Hi, Lizthechef, what does it mean to make Oprah?
 
Sagegreen July 18, 2011
Congrats! Here is a link I just found: http://www.oprah.com/blogs/6-New-Takes-on-the-Classic-Sangria
 
Maria T. July 18, 2011
Oh, that is one big surprise! Thanks for the link Sagegreen.
 
Maria T. June 24, 2011
Thanks Sagegreen.
 
Sagegreen June 23, 2011
Lovely!