Green Tea and Citrus White Sangria

Sangria is a wonderful summer drink, and this Citrus White Sangria is so exquisitely refreshing and zingy, you may want to keep a pitcher handy for leisurely sipping on every sweltering afternoon.


As the sun sinks lower in the sky and the hope of cooler evening temperatures inches closer, an icy glass of Citrus White Sangria is just the thing to relax the body and restore the spirits. Sangria is simply wine, red or white, with fresh fruit and a bit of simple syrup to keep things nice and sweet. To make it stretch a bit further and add another delicious layer of flavor, I like to add iced tea to the mix. It also lowers the alcohol content of the sangria, so it's easy to add to a late breakfast, leisurely brunch, or an afternoon siesta in the garden.
Sangria is endlessly versatile, limited only by your imagination and what you find in your fridge, pantry, or garden.

Iced Tea

I like to start with the iced tea, then build my sangria around it. Citrus White Sangria is the perfect venue for our lovely Citrus Mint Green Tea with its sprightly notes of lemon, orange, lemongrass, and mint. If you want to avoid caffeine, our Pineapple Pop Herbal Tea is a splendid substitute with its rooibos base and layers of pineapple, apple, mango, and apricot flavors.

Wine

Although sangria can be made with red or white wines, or even rosé, I prefer white wine for a citrus version. This time I used a simple chardonnay, but you could amp up the sweetness factor by using a riesling or even an ice wine or prosecco.

Fruit and Herbs

The fun part of making a sangria is choosing the fruit and fresh herbs you want to include. A Citrus White Sangria could be made in a basic fashion choosing only one citrus fruit to take center stage, such as clementines, ruby red grapefruit, or kumquats. For this batch I chose a mixture of citrus fruits: lemons from the grocery store, mandarins from the market, and limes from our own orchard. They're such bright, cheerful colors and flavors that I couldn't settle on just one.
If citrus isn't your favorite flavor, you could try our Elderflower White Wine Sangria with frothy bouquets of elderflower blossoms; Melon and Peach White Wine Sangria with juicy chunks of cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, and ripe peaches; or our Pineapple Basil Golden Sangria with kiwi fruit, pineapple, and lots of fresh basil and mint.

Simple Syrup

Made by simmering equal parts white sugar and water, simple syrup is an easy way to add sweetness to your sangria without any gritty grains of sugar in the bottom of your pitcher. It also dissolves easily, so you can sweeten your sangria even when it's cold, unlike using honey, which requires hot or warm liquid to dissolve well in. If you do prefer honey, try our honey dust -- its powdered form dissolves nicely in cold liquids without a lot of fuss.

Preparation

Once you've decided on the ingredients for your sangria, simply mix everything together in a large pitcher and leave for several hours or overnight to let the flavors mingle. With a citrus sangria, don't leave it sitting as long as other versions, since the pith in the skin can leave a bitter aftertaste if left too long. If you're worried about this, just peel the citrus fruit before adding it to the sangria, and you'll enjoy the fresh fruit flavor without a hint of bitterness.
When you're ready to serve, simply place a few ice cubes in each glass, pour over the Citrus White Sangria, then sit back and enjoy.