Mixed Berry and Basil Sangria By The Glass (and mocktail variation)

Sangria by the glass makes it so you don’t need to whip up a whole pitcher to enjoy Sangria! Sparkly, slightly sweet, berry-and-basil fresh!

I like sangria a lot, but there’s one massive problem with most sangria recipes that are circulating out there. They assume you: a) have an enormous number of people partaking with you, b) you’re a lush, or c) you’re okay with leftovers going flat.

None of these options suit me. Oh sure, I have an enormous number of people at my house at most times, but four-sevenths of them are not of drinking age, and I’m not that kind of mom.

Can I get an amen out there from someone? I have a solution.

Raise your hand if you want a straw and a lounge chair and a glass of that right now. Yes? My hand is up, too. Way up.

This solves all of my sangria related issues simultaneously PLUS another one I didn’t mention yet. Sweetness. Good golly, the prepackaged stuff is awfully sweet.

And a lot of homemade recipes call on you to pour in lemon-lime soda or simple syrup which just about makes my teeth rattle. Never fear, though, my darling sweet-tooth friends… This is my favourite word; customizable. Happy sigh.

So what do we have here? We have a mixed berry and basil (don’t look at me like that. I’ll explain shortly.) sangria that is made up by the glass rather than pitcher or vat (Hallelujah!) and can be made with white wine (“high-octane”) or white grape juice (Mocktail). That’s right…

Foodie with Family is pleasing all the people all the time. I am doing a victory dance you wouldn’t believe right now.

How do we make this happen? We make this magic with ice cubes.

Wait for it.

Not just any ice cubes go into this, though, they’re the flavour component that screams sangria folks. That’s what makes this a by-the-glass option. I fill ice cube trays with fresh blueberries, although in a pinch, you could use frozen berries.

Over the blueberries we pour plain old white grape juice. I use unsweetened because, well, see above.

Also? Because I’m over forty and my waistline reminds me of this. Into the freezer go the ice cube trays and then into zipper top freezer bags go the ice cubes to await the perfect sangria moment.

This is where it gets exciting for me.

When we do Sangria by the glass, we bust out two different shaped glasses. This is our visual reference to make sure the kids don’t sip from the adult glasses, but we start the mocktail and the high-octane versions the same way. Two or three of our blueberry/grape juice ice cubes, a couple of hulled and halved strawberries, and two or three fresh basil leaves.

Here’s the fun part for me… I love serving something festive to the kids while my husband and I have a sip or two. In the adult glasses, we pour a standard pour of white wine (three-quarters of a cup of, in our case, Pinot Grigio), followed by a splash of white grape juice, then a topping-off of plain seltzer water or “hard” seltzer.

In the kids’ glasses, we make mocktail sangria. We pour three quarters of a cup of white grape juice and top the glass off with plain seltzer.

Gve each glass a hearty stir and start a-sipping. Now you can adjust the sweetness if you would like. Want it sweeter? Just add a bit more grape juice. Ta-da!

It really is that easy.

My word, though, Sangria by the glass is so refreshing in either form. Sparkly, slightly sweet, berry-and-basil fresh; this is the stuff to whet your whistle when the temperature is soaring.

Has anyone asked, “Why basil?” yet? Let me fill you in on this front… Basil plays very nicely indeed with fruits.

If you doubt me, go cut a thin strip of basil and wrap it around the fresh berry of your choice, pop it in your mouth and chomp down. There’s something about the perfume of the basil that heightens the flavour of any berry it accompanies. It’s time basil makes it into more than just marinara, people. Free your basil!

What do you think? Can you see yourself with your feet up enjoying a glass (or two) of this?

Sangria by the glass

Make a big batch of the blueberry ice cubes. Once they’re frozen turn them out into a gallon-sized, resealable, zipper topped bag so you have them on hand whenever the desire for a glass of sangria strikes!

I prefer to use home canned, unsweetened white grape juice. I know not everyone has that on hand, though, and I have tried it and loved it with big brand unsweetened white grape juice. If you have a sweet tooth, try sweetened white grape juice.

While I most often make Sangria-by-the-glass with plain seltzer, I have also enjoyed it made with hard seltzer.

Should you wish to make a pitcher of this for a crowd, you’re welcome to do so. To do this, simply follow the basic ratios in a pitcher. It’s just pitchers of hooch don’t flow like water around my house, and this is a way we can still enjoy the fun that is sangria without compromising our moderation.

Calling all cocktail fans!! Clearly I’m a fan of cocktails. If you are, too, you should check out our Pimm’s Cup Boozy Popsicles, Bourbon Apple Cider, Boozy Strawberry Basil Lemonade made with Strawberry Basil infused Vodka, Lady Greyhound Cocktails made with Lady Grey infused vodka, Berry Kombucha Margaritas, Watermelon Margaritas, and Skinny White Russian a.k.a Anna Kournikova!

Use these to make Sangria By The Glass

• ice cube trays
• Wine Squirrel (the nifty little thing I use to store my wine freshly for weeks at a time)
• Stemless wine glass for the alcoholic version
• Fun glasses for the Mocktail version

 Check out how Easy Sangria By The Glass is (and spot my mistake!)

Mixed Berry and Basil Sangria-By-The-Glass (and mocktail variation) | Make Ahead Mondays

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Rebecca Lindamood

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

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You don’t need to whip up a whole pitcher to enjoy Sangria! Sparkly, slightly sweet, berry-and-basil fresh; this is the stuff to whet your whistle when the temperature is soaring. The sweet, perfumed basil is the perfect foil for sweet, perfumed berries. This is summer in an icy cold glass!

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the Berry Grape Ice Cubes:

• 1 pint fresh blueberries
• 2-4 cups white grape juice preferably unsweetened

For Mixed Berry Sangria-By-The-Glass, per glass:

• 4 Berry Grape Ice Cubes
• 3/4 cup white wine we prefer Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay
• 2-4 fresh whole basil leaves
• 2 large or 4 small fresh strawberries hulled and halved
• a splash of white grape juice
• cold plain or hard seltzer water

For Mixed Berry Sangria-By-The-Glass Mocktail, per glass:

• 4 Berry Grape Ice Cubes
• 3/4 cup white grape juice
• 2-4 fresh whole basil leaves
• 2 large or 4 small fresh strawberries hulled and halved
• cold seltzer water

Instructions

 

To Make Berry Grape Ice Cubes:

• Without packing them, fill each depression in the ice cube tray with fresh blueberries. Pour the white grape juice in to cover them, put trays in the freezer until solid, then turn the ice cubes out into a resealable zipper top freezer bag. Store them in the freezer until ready to serve.

To Make the Sangria-By-The-Glass, either the regular or Mocktail version:

• Add the Berry Grape Ice Cubes to each glass with the strawberries and fresh basil leaves. Pour the wine and/or grape juice over the cubes, top off with chilled seltzer and stir briskly. Sip contentedly!

Nutrition

Calories: 288kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 1gSodium: 16mgPotassium: 369mgFiber: 3gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 60IUVitamin C: 25.1mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 1.1mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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This recipe originally published June 3, 2013, updated May of 2016, and June 2017.

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