Sangria is a fruity cocktail made with wine, fruits, spices, and natural sweeteners. This crimson-colored beverage has a robust fruity flavor and it can be served with or without alcohol. Even better, sangria is easy to make although it has an extremely short shelf life. So how do you extend the drink’s shelf life? Can you freeze sangria leftovers?
Yes, sangria is one of the few drinks that keep so well in the freezer. When kept in the fridge, sangria will only keep for four days before it becomes stale or funky-tasting. When kept in the freezer, the drink will last for 3 months; maybe more if the temperature is kept at a steady 0 degrees Fahrenheit!
The reason why sangria has such a short shelf life is that wine easily breaks down when exposed to air. This causes the fruit ingredients to turn sour or bitter. By reducing air exposure, sangria will keep fresh for longer.
Also, do note that the fruit ingredients degrade faster than the wine itself. So keeping the wine in the fridge for longer than 4 days could increase the chances of the fruits going bad. Our advice is to separate the fruit ingredients from the drink itself during freezing. In addition, do not expect carbonated sangria to stay fizzy after it has been frozen and defrosted. Here is a step by step guide on how can you freeze sangria:
How to Freeze Sangria?
If you are making a large batch of sangria and you’d like to freeze some of it for later, do not combine the fresh fruits into the drink you’ll freeze. Slice or cut the fresh fruits when you are ready to serve. Prepare an airtight water bottle or a plastic container with an airtight lid. Pour the sangria preparation into the container, leaving about a few inches of space for the wine to expand. Close the lid, write the storage date with a marker and stick the sangria in the freezer.
For leftover sangria, you have to strain the liquid to remove the fruit ingredients first. Once the drink is free from fruit bits, you can go ahead and transfer the drink to a freezer-safe, airtight container. Once that’s done, stick the container in the freezer.
How to Defrost Frozen Sangria?
Defrosting frozen sangria is easy. Just take the container out of the freezer and leave the sangria to thaw at room temperature. The drink should turn to slush in an hour or two. Once the sangria has turned to slush, get a pitcher and pour the drink in. Cut or slice your choice of fruits and add this to the pitcher of sangria and you are ready to serve!
Summary
Sangria makes the perfect summer drink with its refreshing sweet-tart flavors! Nothing hits the spot quite like ice cold sangria on a warm day. Now that you know how can you freeze sangria, why not make more of this delightful drink and keep the rest for later?