Sangria is a perfect drink for summertime.  It's fun to drink, and inspiring to make. You can make Sangria as basic and easy or luxurious and exotic as you'd like.   It just begs you to get creative and invent your very own summer sensation. 

Any Sangria is going to start with a wine base,  Most Sangrias start with a red wine, though you can make some interesting variations by using a white wine or even a dry rose wine.  You won't need a fancy or expensive wine to serve as your base.  Since you will be adding fruit, juices, sodas, etc, a top-shelf wine just isn't going to really make any difference worth the extra money.  You'll want to use a dry wine as your base, since you'll be adding sweet ingredients to it.   Using a sweet wine as a base could result in your finished Sangria being way too sugary.

Then from the wine base, is where you really get to go wild and make it your own.   The next step is adding fruits and juices.  You can use canned, concentrated, or fresh fruit juices.  Orange juice is a great juice to add. Adding a splash of  pineapple juice, apple juice, or lime juice can add an extra dimension.

You can use fresh fruit, or frozen fruit, even some canned fruits. Frozen berries work great. Pineapple and cherries from cans work fine, but I wouldn't recommend using canned peaches.  Their limper texture and the syrup they're packaged in makes them not quite work as well as fresh or frozen ones.  Fresh sliced oranges and limes add a lot of zest and citrusy excitement. Whatever fruit you have on hand is likely to be an interesting addition to your sangria. Think blueberries, raspberries, apples, kiwis, mangos, papayas.  The potential for new and exotic fruit flavors is almost limitless.

After the basic mixture of wine, and fruit and juice, which will give you a very drinkable sangria, you could stop mixing and start serving right there, or you can add the extra special extra touches that will really set yours apart.   You can add liquor for extra punch and added flavor.  Many recipes add brandy. Flavored brandies like blackberry or apricot brandy work especially well.  You can add a splash of rum. Even flavored rums like Mango or Pineapple could be exciting.  I've tried some great sangrias that even used a dash of flavored vodka.  Citrus, Peach, and Orange vodkas add a boost in flavor, and a boost in proof.  For a luxurious touch, you can experiment with adding  flavored liqueurs like Peach Schnapps,Grand Marnier, Chambord, etc. Be careful when you're adding extra liquor to your sangria base not to go overboard and overpower the wine.  You and your guests may appreciate a little extra kick, but Sangria is about lightness and refreshment and not really meant to be over-proof. 

You can also add sodas to your sangria.  Club soda will add bubbles for a light, fizzy sangria without adding any extra sweetness.  It will thin the taste of your sangria a bit.  So if your Sangria at this point seems a little too robust in flavor or in proof for your tastes, or is a bit too sweet,adding a bit of club soda is an elegant fix.  Add it gradually,though, to be sure not to dilute it too far.  Ginger Ale works great in place of club soda for adding fizzy sparkle. It adds a slight but noticible added flavor dimension,too.    You might also try lemon-lime soda (like Sprite), orange soda, Fanta, or tropical punch.  But be extra mindful of the added sugar of sodas like ginger ale or fruity sodas.  If you like your Sangria to be sweet, then they can adjust the sweetness quickly and easily while adding their own unique flavor and sparkle, but if you want a drier sangria you'll want to avoid using them or use them very sparingly.  Be mindful when using sweet liqueurs like schnapps and cordials that they will add sweetness to your finished sangria, so you'll want to adjust the sweetness of your other ingredients accordingly.You can add sugar to sweeten your sangria if you like a sweeter sangria.   Quick dissolving fine ground sugar will work especially well, but you can do just fine with plain old table sugar.  You should probably wait to add any extra sugar until you've already added everything else you intend to add.  You may find you don't need to add any at all if you've used other sweet ingredients.  Or you may find that it's still a little tart, especially if you used a lot of fresh citrus fruits, and may need to sweeten it up some.  

While the easiest, and probably most fun, way to make Sangria is to let it be free-form and just taste and mix and add something, then taste and mix again, and experiment as you go until it's your own perfect summer cooler creation, there are plenty of pre-measured and planned recipes available that will result in delicious sangria.  Here are a couple of recipes to either follow to guarantee a good sangria, or to serve as an inspirational starting point for your own special recipe...

Basic Sangria  Recipe  

1 750 ml bottle red wine

1 whole lime  (sliced or cut into wedges)

1 whole orange (sliced or cut into wedges)

2 cups ginger ale or lemon-lime soda

2 tablespoons sugar

Deluxe Sangria Recipe

1 bottle of red wine

3 ounces blackberry brandy

1 cup of diced pineapple 

1 whole lime (sliced or wedged)

1 whole peach (cut into wedges) or 1 cup of frozen peach wedges

1 cup orange juice

1 cup of sliced fresh or frozen strawberries

3 cups club soda