Sangria is a beloved Spanish cocktail typically made with red or white wine and infused with fresh fruits. Cava Sangria elevates this drink to another level. Add the refreshing effervescence of this fantastic Spanish sparkling wine to create the ultimate summer cocktail perfect for barbecues or any fun occasion.
One of the easiest and most universally popular cocktails I can think of is sangria. Though it has Spanish origins, I’ve seen it on menus of all kinds of restaurants. It’s so easy to make and customize to suit your tastes, using whatever fruits you can find. You should make it for all your parties, in the summer or otherwise!
Begin with a simple combination of fruit juice (in this case orange and a bit of lemon, but pineapple juice or a splash of peach nectar would also be lovely). Add some potent spirits such as orange liqueur and brandy or peach schnapps. Finish with the wine component, in this case cava, Spain’s very own sparkling wine.
There are no real rules to follow, so use this recipe as a guide and make modifications as needed. Just make sure to give the flavors some time to mingle, and always serve it chilled over ice. Cheers!
Ingredient notes
- Cava: This is Spanish sparkling wine, and you definitely can’t make cava sangria without it. Get a brut version, which is dry. You can always add more sugar later to sweeten your sangria if desired.
- Orange Liqueur: Adding orange liqueur makes the cava sangria more boozy (stronger) but also adds flavor. Use whatever you have on hand: triple sec, Cointreau, or Grand Marnier.
- Brandy or Peach Schnapps: Brandy is common in a lot of sangria recipes! You may not even realize it’s in there. It’s quite a bit stronger than peach schnapps, but if you love peachy flavors (and are perhaps adding sliced peaches to your cava sangria), then I recommend adding some peach schnapps as well. You can use either/or, both (it will be stronger), or do half and half of the same volume.
- Orange Juice: The OJ adds more flavor, fruitiness and sweetness to the cava sangria. If you want, you can use less than what I suggest in the recipe. Start with just a splash and add more later if desired.
- Fruit: I use kiwi, strawberries, and orange to get a good variety of flavors and colors in my cava sangria, but you can use practically any variety of fruits. Here are some other suggestions. P.S. I think apples, pears, and cranberries are a delightful combination for a fall/winter version:
- Sliced peaches
- Sliced apples
- Sliced pears
- Whole cranberries
- Whole or halved seedless grapes
- Diced pineapple
How to make it
Combine orange juice, orange liqueur, brandy and/or peach schnapps, and lemon juice in a glass pitcher. Add fruit and give it a gentle stir to combine. Chill until ready to serve.
Before serving, carefully add the chilled cava.
Mix gently and taste. If you prefer it sweeter, add a little sweetener and stir to dissolve.
Add ice cubes directly to glasses and pour cava sangria into glasses, making sure to add some of the fruit from the pitcher into each glass.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
Unlike with other sangrias, you don’t want to add the wine component too early because the cava will lose its bubbles. Add it right before serving to maintain its effervescence.
Make sure you don't slice the oranges (if using oranges) too thick. They will be easier to bend and fit into glasses as needed if you slice them thinner.
I actually like to add a little ice to the glasses and then add the fruit from the pitcher using a fork and/or spoon. Then I pour the sangria into each glass. If you happen to serve all the glasses at once it will be easier to more evenly distribute fruit among the glasses as well.
Other recipes you may like
- Butterfly Pea Flower Margarita (Mariposa Margarita)
- Guava Margarita (Guavarita)
- Hibiscus Margarita (Margarita de Jamaica)
- Prickly Pear Margarita
- HippopotoMai-Tai Recipe from Trader Sam's at Disney
- Fleming's Blueberry Lemon Drop Martini
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Sangria de Cava (Cava Sangria)
Ingredients
- ½ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup orange liqueur such as triple sec, Cointreau, or Grand Marnier
- ¼ cup brandy or peach schnapps (or add 2 tablespoons of each)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 5 to 6 strawberries hulled and sliced into ¼-inch slices
- 2 kiwis peeled and sliced into ¼-inch slices
- 1 orange sliced into ¼-inch slices
- 1 (750ml) bottle Spanish brut cava chilled
- Sugar simple syrup or agave nectar, if desired
Instructions
- Combine the orange juice, orange liqueur, brandy and/or peach schnapps, and lemon juice in a glass pitcher. Add the fruit and give it a gentle stir to combine. Chill until ready to serve, about 30 to 60 minutes if possible so the fruit can start to absorb the other flavors.
- When ready to serve, carefully add the chilled cava so it doesn’t bubble up too much. Mix gently and taste. If you prefer it sweeter, add a little sweetener and stir to dissolve.
- Add ice cubes directly to glasses and pour cava sangria into glasses, making sure to add some of the fruit from the pitcher into each glass.
Notes
- Brandy is common in a lot of sangria recipes! You may not even realize it’s in there. It’s quite a bit stronger than peach schnapps, but if you love peachy flavors (and are perhaps adding sliced peaches to your cava sangria), then I recommend adding some peach schnapps as well. You can use either/or, both (it will be stronger), or do half and half of the same volume.
- For fruit, I use kiwi, strawberries, and orange to get a good variety of flavors and colors in my cava sangria, but you can use practically any variety of fruits. Here are some other suggestions. P.S. I think apples, pears, and cranberries are a delightful combination for a fall/winter version:
- Sliced peaches
- Sliced apples
- Sliced pears
- Whole cranberries
- Whole or halved seedless grapes
- Diced pineapple
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
Mimi Rippee says
Fantastic! I know I’ll love this. I usually make sangria with white wine anyway.