Orange White Wine Campari Sangria
on Apr 27, 2018, Updated Jul 19, 2024
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Bright and delicious, the prettiest orange, this refreshing cocktail is perfect year-round and a great sangria for any party.
This is a white wine sangria, also called Sangria Blanca, and so refreshing and citrusy. It’s a great year-round option because the fruit is citrus, which is readily available in the winter and throughout the year. It also includes a combination of orange liqueur and Campari to deepen the orange hue. Campari is a bright red bitters type of Italian aperitif, and it adds a nice undercurrent of bitter-sweet brightness to the drink.
This crisp Orange White Wine Campari Sangria recipe has a great balance of sweetness and acidity. It also has a stunning color (kind of reminiscent of the popular Aperol Spritzes that have made such a dramatic comeback in recent years!), and it’s a perfect pitcher cocktail for parties.
White sangria works beautifully with fish and seafood. Paella is a classic pairing. Try it with grilled scallops, poached salmon, or shrimp scampi. It’s also lovely with a simple salad like this spinach and burrata salad. Or make a Spanish-style meal like Spanish Pork Chops and Pan Con Tomate to serve with this fruity pitcher drink.
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When I was a lass in my 20’s there was a great dumpy, dive-y Spanish restaurant in the meat-packing district of New York City. My friends and I would head there for a festive and very affordable meal of paella and pitchers of sangria. Alas, the spot is no longer there. The memories are slightly hazy, but I surely do remember it being a lot of fun. They served a white wine sangria that was pretty easy to drink, and that’s what inspired this recipe.
Orange White Wine Campari Sangria: Bright, delicious, and citrusy, this refreshing orange-hued cocktail is perfect year round.
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FAQs
I like a dry, acidic white wine for sangria, but it’s definitely a matter of taste. Many Spanish wines, unsurprisingly, are good bases for sangria. Try Cava, Verdejo, Rueda, Jumilla, Valdepenas, or Albarino. You can also use Sauvignon Blanc, a dry Reisling, or Vinho Verde. I usually steer clear of oaky, buttery California whites, like Chardonnays, which have a lot of sweetness to them and can be cloying in combination with the fruit and added sugar. Having said that, if that’s the kind of white wine you like, give it a go.
Don’t use a pricy bottle of wine for sangria since the flavor will be camouflaged by the other added ingredients. You should save the expensive stuff to drink straight up. But don’t use a cheap wine you aren’t excited about drinking — it’s still important to use a quality wine.
Even though orange liqueurs have slightly different flavor profiles and can be made using different alcohol bases, you can swap in whichever you have on hand. Try Cointreau, triple sec, or Grand Marnier; they all work equally well.
Ingredients for Orange White Wine Sangria
- Dry white wine – My wine selecting advice is above, but really, choose whatever white wine you like.
- Orange sparkling fruit soda – Pellegrino’s Aranciata is a great brand for this, adding the needed sweetness to balance out the acidity.
- Fresh orange juice – If you can squeeze or even buy fresh orange juice for this, it makes a big difference. White wine and fresh orange juice are a lovely combination.
- Campari – Adds a bitterness that balances out the bright sweetness of the sangria. You could sub in Aperol for Campari, though Aperol is sweeter, so taste as you go.
- Orange liqueur – Cointreau, Triple Sec, or Grand Marnier are all great.
- Oranges – If you can find blood oranges, these look great sliced up in the glass. Combine them with slices of regular navel oranges for a good contrast.
- Lemon – Adds a bit more acidity to this citrusy drink.
How to Make Orange White Wine Sangria
- Mix: Stir together all the ingredients in a large pitcher.
- Chill: Refrigerate the mixture for a few hours, until chilled.
- Serve: Pour into wine glasses filled with ice.
How to Serve White Wine Sangria
While you can order sangria by the glass in most places that serve it, you can also usually order it by the pitcher, and in my mind (and my memory) it is one of the best pitcher group drinks around. I’m certainly not making sangria by the glass — sangria is for sharing in a group!
When you order sangria by the pitcher (or by the glass) in a restaurant, it is often loaded with ice. The ice, of course, keeps the drink cold but also dilutes it a bit (and obviously makes it more economical for the restaurant). I like to serve sangria very chilled in a pitcher with no ice and have a big bucket of ice right next to the pitcher. Then, you can scoop the ice into glasses before pouring in the drink.
I always serve sangria in a clear pitcher, so you can see the fruit and the beautiful colors. Make sure to put a spoon in the pitcher to scoop out slices of citrus into each glass.
Variations
- Consider making some orange juice ice cubes, which look cool floating around in the drink and will add more tart-sweet flavor to the sangria as they melt.
- If you want a less alcoholic version of this sangria, you can top off the glasses (or the pitcher) of sangria with some sparking water. This will add more fizziness (the orange soda also adds a nice bit of effervescence) and tone down the alcohol level. Offering a bottle of chilled sparkling water with sangria allows people to decide how strong they want their drink.
- For extra visual appeal, mix up all kinds of sliced oranges for garnishing the glasses: look for blood oranges, Cara Cara, Satsumas, and Valencias. You could slice up some lemons or limes for that extra wow factor; Meyer lemons are lovely when available. You can also freeze the orange slices to help keep the drink cold.
- Try adding some frozen strawberries to help keep the drink cold and add pops of red.
What to Eat With White Wine Sangria
More Pitcher Cocktail Recipes
- Pitcher Red Cocktail for the Holidays
- Cranberry Orange Shrub
- Pomegranate Orange Mocktail with Mint
- Pitcher Pomelo Palomas
- Hot Toddy
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Orange White Wine Campari Sangria
Equipment
- 1 Pitcher
Ingredients
- 1 bottle dry white wine (see Notes for suggestions)
- 1 (12-ounce) can sparkling orange soda (such as Pellegrino)
- ½ cup fresh orange juice
- 2 tablespoons Campari
- 2 tablespoons triple sec (or Cointreau or Grand Marnier)
- 2 to 3 oranges (preferably different types, sliced)
- 1 lemon (sliced; optional)
- Ice cubes (lots)
Instructions
- Pour in the wine, sparkling orange soda, Campari, and triple sec into a large pitcher. Add the sliced oranges and lemons and give the mixture a stir. Refrigerate for at least a few hours, until well chilled.
- Serve in big wine glasses (or the glasses of your choice) over lots of ice, making sure to scoop some slices of citrus into each glass.
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Notes
- I think the best white wines for sangria are Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, a dry Reisling, or Vinho Verde. Steer clear of those oaky, buttery California whites, like Chardonnays, which have a lot of sweetness to them and can be cloying in combination with the fruit and added sugar.
- Consider making some orange juice ice cubes, which look cool floating around in the drink and will add more tart-sweet flavor to the sangria as they melt.
- If you want a less alcoholic version of this sangria, you can top off the glasses (or the pitcher) of sangria with some sparking water. This will add more fizziness (the orange soda also adds a nice bit of effervescence) and also tone down the alcohol level. Offering a bottle of chilled sparkling water with sangria allows people to decide how strong they want their drink to be.
- For extra visual appeal, mix up all kinds of sliced oranges for garnishing the glasses: look for blood oranges, Cara Cara, Satsumas, and Valencias. You could also slice up some lemons or lime for that extra wow factor; Meyer lemons are lovely if available. You can also freeze the orange slice to help keep the drink cold.
- Try adding some frozen strawberries to help keep the drink cold and add pops of red.
