This Cheerwine Sangria is just what you want on a hot Summer day. Sweet, cherry-flavored Cheerwine is the perfect addition to a pitcher of fruity sangria.
Best yet? This recipe makes a big batch of the good stuff!
Looking for more cocktails for summer? Try my Limoncello Spritz and Strawberry Mojito!
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🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
It makes a big batch. What's better than one cocktail? How about a whole pitcher?
It tastes great. This sangria is sweet and fruity.
It's very easy to make. If you can pour some ingredients into a pitcher, you can make this recipe!
💭 What is Cheerwine Sangria?
Cheerwine Sangria is a red wine-based sangria that includes the soft drink Cheerwine.
I first had Cheerwine Sangria while eating dinner at Mateo, a tapas restaurant in Durham, NC. It's one of my and Sean's favorite restaurants. If you're ever in the area, please do yourself a favor and grab dinner there. Make a reservation.
Alton Brown took a crack at recreating Mateo's sangria after his tour passed through the area in 2016. While his rendition is certainly delicious, I wanted to put my own spin on it. I think that this recipe comes pretty dang close to what's served in the restaurant.
What is Cheerwine, anyway?
Cheerwine is a cherry-flavored soft drink made in North Carolina. It's available throughout the Southeast United States, but is best known in the Carolinas and Virginia. If you can't find it in your local grocery store, please consider ordering some online.
In short: it's delicious and is just begging to be used in sangria.
📝 Ingredients
You'll want to start with a bottle of red wine. For this recipe, I recommend a Spanish wine, like Rioja. It doesn't have to be super fancy or expensive. Just make sure that it's something that you would enjoy drinking on its own.
You'll want to add some triple sec and dark rum, too. Pretty standard stuff. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur really amps up the cherry flavor and aroma of this sangria. If you've seen my Homemade Luxardo Cherries, you're familiar with this liqueur.
You'll also use some fresh fruit, like cherries, orange slices, and chopped Granny Smith apples, along with several large sprigs of fresh basil.
And then there's the Cheerwine (duh).
👩🏻🍳 How do you make this sangria?
It's very easy!
Put the fresh fruit and basil in the bottom of a pitcher. Top them with the wine, liquor, and liqueurs. Allow it to chill in the fridge overnight. This will allow the flavors to really meld together.
When you're ready to drink, remove the old basil, and top everything with Cheerwine (duh)! Garnish your glass with some more fresh basil (the aroma when you go to take a sip is really great) and go to town!
🔗 Other Summery cocktails
In need of more summery cocktails? Click on any of the photos below to be taken straight to the recipes!
❓ FAQs
Cheerwine is a cherry-flavored soda that hails from North Carolina.
I recommend a Spanish red, like Rioja.
This makes approximately 8 drinks.
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✨ Recipe
Cheerwine Sangria
Ingredients
- 750 mL Rioja wine
- 4 oz triple sec
- 3 oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
- 3 oz dark rum
- 1 Granny Smith apple chopped
- 1 navel orange sliced into thin rounds
- 2 cups fresh cherries pitted and halved
- 3 large sprigs of basil plus more for garnish
- 24 oz Cheerwine soda
Instructions
- Combine the wine, triple sec, Maraschino liqueur, dark rum, fresh fruit, and sprigs of basil in a pitcher. Refrigerate overnight.
- Remove the basil and discard.
- Add the Cheerwine and stir gently.
- Pour into glasses over ice and garnish with more fresh basil.
Notes
- You can substitute another cherry-flavored soda if you can't get your hands on Cheerwine
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.
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