The Secret Ingredient That Will Give Your Red Sangria A Spicy Kick

Red sangria is a delicious swirl of flavors, with fruity, floral wines playing against the sweetness and brightness of fresh fruits. But one totally unexpected ingredient can take your next batch to the next level, adding its own kick while also highlighting other flavors present, and delighting party guests with the novel twist. That ingredient, according to cocktail expert and Muddling Memories cofounder Camille Goldstein, is ginger. Goldstein's red sangria employs cabernet sauvignon, Grand Marnier (Grand Marnier is liqueur that blends cognac and orange liqueur, so you can always swap in either just orange liqueur, a bit of brandy, or a split of the two), pear, blood orange wheels, and cinnamon sticks. This sounds like a straightforward, reliably irresistible recipe. But then Goldstein incorporates her twist. 

"I like to add a little grated ginger to give it a pop of heat," she says. "I also take the juice of the citrus and squeeze about an ounce to two ounces into the sangria to make it a little juicy." That extra burst of natural citrus juice would play against the ginger with sweetness and acidity, and the two make for a totally refreshed, palate-invigorating sangria update. But the game-changer really is that ginger. It's already a go-to for spicing up other beverages — ginger is a pop of heat for lemonade, for example. It's easy to imagine its sweet, earthy heat harmonizing perfectly with sangria's jamminess, juiciness, and tartness.

The beauty of this upgrade is it's so easy — you're essentially making a classic red sangria and popping in some freshly grated ginger. The spice is enough to transform the entire drink with a satisfying zing. The most basic approach is to treat the ginger like a garnish — albeit one with major flavor impact — and grate it over your finished sangria to taste. Of course, there are other ways to introduce ginger and even get creative with other flavors. You can mix your wine with ginger ale or ginger beer to get the heat of ginger along with some sweetness and crisp effervescence. About one cup of ginger ale for three cups of wine is a good ratio to start with. Or, you can make your own upgraded simple syrup, letting sugar and water dissolve over heat with grated ginger — you can add other spices in this syrup, too, like cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, or nutmeg.

While Camille Goldstein's own recommendation is adding ginger to red sangria, the specific flavor profile and heat of ginger would work just as well with white sangria. The light, bright, citrus-forward character of white wine and fruits like lime, orange, and peach creates a sweetness and acidity that work well with spice — take peach jalapeño white sangria, for example. To try ginger-recharged white sangria, take the same approach as you would with red, using freshly grated ginger, ginger ale, or a syrup.