Non-Alcoholic Sangria

This Non-Alcoholic Sangria tastes so much like the real thing, you won't miss the alcohol! With alcohol-free wine and fresh juice, it’s a delicious mocktail to serve for any occasion. Using fresh cut up apples and oranges gives it an authentic feel.

This drink is perfect to serve at baby showers, or just anytime you want to take a break from booze but miss the flavor! The red wine base is has the alcohol removed, so it really has a wine flavor and body without the buzz.

Alcohol-removed wine doesn't taste quite the same as regular wine. But, with the juices and sweetener added in this drink, it definitely tastes like Sangria when mixed together!

If you like this recipe, try out my Ginger Beer Bitters Mocktail, or this tasty Grapefruit Mocktail! You can also get some more mocktail ideas here: Mocktail Recipes.

About Non-alcoholic Wine

If you're expecting non-alcoholic wine to taste exactly like wine, you're probably going to end up a little disappointed. It's not exactly the same, and that's because it goes through a process called dealcoholization to remove the alcohol.

The end result is going to have some qualities of wine, but the taste and mouthfeel will be different. Many companies add in additional ingredients to make it taste more like the real thing.

Some companies actually market unfermented grape juice with some additives as alcohol-free wine. Always be sure to check the label to see if "dealcoholized wine" or "alcohol-removed wine" is one of the ingredients, so you know you are getting actual wine with the alcohol taken out after the fact.

Note: Alcohol-free wine may contain a little bit of alcohol, up to 0.5%. While this is a small amount, it is not zero, so it's important to keep in mind. You can read some more background info on dealcoholized wine here: Dealcoholized Wine on Healthline.com.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this drink:

• Alcohol-removed red wine - this is the key ingredient! (Scroll up to the previous section for more info on non-alcoholic wine.) There are a bunch of different non-alcoholic wines on the market. I used Fre Non-alcoholic wine blend by Sutter Home, but some other good ones for this recipe are Lussory Non-alcoholic Merlot or Wander + Found Non-alcoholic Pinot Noir.
• Lemon juice - preferably freshly squeezed.
• Orange juice - preferably freshly squeezed. I actually used blood orange juice since they're in season, but any type of orange juice works.
• Simple syrup - to sweeten up the drink and balance out the citrus.

Substitutions

Here are some ways you can substitute the ingredients in this drink.

• Alcohol-removed red wine - if you can't find any, or if you want to make sure there is zero alcohol in the final drink (alcohol-removed wine may have up to 0.5% alcohol in it), try using a mixture of grape juice, vinegar and sweetener. Start out with around 24 ounces of grape juice, preferably 100% concord grape juice, and add in a tablespoon of red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar plus a tablespoon of simple syrup. Mix well and keep in the refrigerator for about a week.
• Citrus juices - you can use store-bought juice instead of fresh juice, although fresh has a better overall taste. If you can only find bottled juice, I recommend dissolving in a packet of True Lemon to enhance the flavor.
• Simple syrup - you can use maple syrup instead, or use a sugar-free cocktail syrup to avoid adding extra sugar. Or, just make your own using the tips in my How to Make Simple Syrup post.

Variations

Giving the visitor ideas on how they can change this recipe to better suit their dinner guests, or their cultural cuisine, is a great way to increase the chances they make the recipe

• Regular Sangria - you can use this same recipe for regular Sangria if you're not avoiding alcohol! Just use a regular bottle of red wine, preferably Merlot or Pinot Noir. You can also add some apple brandy or orange Curaçao liqueur for an extra kick.
• Non-alcoholic White Sangria - instead of red wine, try using alcohol-removed white wine or moscato (sparkling) wine.
• Non-alcoholic Apple Cider Sangria - try out this delicious recipe for Fall Apple Cider Sangria, but switch out the vodka for pear juice and substitute in non-alcoholic white wine.

Equipment

To make a full batch of this mocktail, you'll need a glass pitcher to mix everything together in. A 1 liter (~33 ounce) size pitcher works great. (I used a cold brew coffee pitcher!)

You'll also need a jigger or measuring cup, a citrus juicer for your fresh citrus fruit, a long spoon, and a knife and cutting board for all the fruit.

For serving glasses, I used lowball whiskey glasses, but wine glasses also work perfectly.

Instructions

Start out by cutting up your citrus fruit. Cut an orange into slices and add them to your pitcher.

Then cut your apple up into chunks, making sure to cut out the core first. Add the apple pieces into the pitcher.

Next, juice your lemon and orange (or just measure it out if you're using store bought juice) and pour it into the pitcher along with the fruit.

Add the simple syrup to your pitcher and stir to combine.

Pour the entire bottle of alcohol-removed wine into the pitcher, and stir everything until it is fully combined.

If your wine was not already chilled, chill the sangria in the fridge until it is cold. Then pour into individual glasses to serve. Add a little of the fruit to each glass, and garnish with half of an orange slice on the rim of the glass.

You can store the pitcher in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. You may want to remove the citrus after day 3 since the peels may eventually make the drink too bitter.

Hint: You can try out different fruits, like cut up strawberries or peaches, to add in to the sangria as well.

Frequently Asked Questions

Top tip

Traditionally, sangria is served chilled, but without ice. If you need to cool your drink down in a hurry, try using frozen whiskey stones or a wine chiller bucket or stick to chill it down. This will make it cold without melting and diluting the drink itself.