It’s officially al fresco dining season, and you know what that means—rosé!

Although I am not, many of my family members are Cuban. As such, we have always had the best sangria at family functions, and it was always one of the first drinks we were allowed to sip on when the adults deemed it okay, even if we weren’t 21.

Though when I was growing up, we typically had a traditional red wine sangria, as I explored the DC happy hour scene more, I realized that style was really just the tip of the iceberg. I’m not one to say no to any kind of wine, but red wine is always my last choice, especially in the warmer months. Instead, I’m partial to white wine or a rosé, so you can guess that sangrias using those two wines as a base are what I consistently order or make at home. 

Last week I showed you my favorite mango blackberry sangria using white wine as the base, so this week I thought it’d be fun to show you this strawberry sangria which has a rosé base.

The strawberries at Trader Joe’s lately have been on point. Perfectly ripe and sweet to boot, I bought the extra large container this past weekend and nearly ate the whole thing. Don’t worry, I saved enough for this pitcher of sangria. Even as a kid, strawberries were my favorite fruit, and some of my best childhood memories are picking strawberries with my mom and sister in the fields of North Carolina. Now, I just enjoy them with a little more wine on the side ;].

INGREDIENTS // serves four 

• 1 bottle of rosé wine
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 6-8 large strawberries for puree
• 1 TBSP water for puree
• 1 TBSP sugar (optional)
• 1 cup club soda
• pomegranate seeds for garnish
• sliced strawberries for garnish

DIRECTIONS // 

1. Blend 6-8 washed, large strawberries with 1 tablespoon of water in a blender. I cut mine into slices prior to blending since my blender is not strong. Be sure to cut the tops off, too!
2. In a large pitcher, combine 1 bottle rosé wine, 1/4 cup brandy, and strawberry puree. Stir gently.
3. Depending on how sweet you like your sangria or how sweet your rosé is to start, add 1 tablespoon of sugar to taste to pitcher, stirring to incorporate.
4. Add pomegranate seeds and sliced strawberries. Chill sangria at least four hours prior to serving, adding in one cup of club soda prior to doing so for a sparkling effect.
5. Cheers!