Sangria is a great drink for summer because it rivals good beer and pairs well with any dinner. It’s delicious and very hard to mess up. One bottle of wine can make enough for 8 to 12 servings, depending on the sweetness desired. Also, you can make really good Sangria with $4 wine. Live a little! (We recommend not using Two-Buck Chuck for Sangria because each bottle is just a bit too tart and dry.) Here’s a recipe that is cheap, quick and delicious.

Ingredients:
1 bottle of red wine
1/3 cup of brandy
1/3 cup of lemon juice
1/3 cup of orange juice
1/3 cup to 1 bottle of lemon-lime soda or sparkling water (depending on sweetness)
2 lemons, sliced
2 oranges, sliced
1 lime, sliced
Sliced fruit of your choice (we highly recommend peaches, cubes of watermelon or both)

Directions:
1. Pour wine into a large container.
2. Combine with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Stir twice.
4. Cover container.
5. Refrigerate for two hours.

Tips:
Use seasonal summer fruits, and cut into bite-size pieces.
The longer the fruit sits in the Sangria, the soggier it gets, so don’t let it sit for more than 24 hours.
There is not a significance difference in taste between $4 wine and more expensive varieties, given that most of us college students are used to Tw0-Buck Chuck. We find that Blue Fin at Trader Joe’s works wonders.
If preferred, you can make a bitter batch of Sangria and let your friends add more soda or brandy to their own servings.
Experiment with sweeteners! Use coconut rum instead of brandy or honey and mint lemonade instead of soda.

Have any suggestions or secrets for the ultimate sangria? Post them below!

Image source: Kevin H under Creative Commons