Refreshing Tart Cherry Sangria

If you ask me, sangria is one of summer’s best inventions.

This refreshing tart cherry version puts a fun twist on the classic Spanish drink. Sweet-tart cherries and red wine create a perfect balance, while fresh citrus adds a bright pop of flavor.

It’s mixed with a splash of brandy and a hint of cinnamon that gives it that special something. Fresh fruit soaks up all the good stuff, making every sip better than the last.

It’s a laid-back drink that’s perfect for warm afternoons on the patio or casual get-togethers with friends.

What Kind of Tart Cherries Should I Use?

For this sangria recipe, you’ll notice we’re using tart cherries in three different forms – frozen, dried, and as juice. Montmorency cherries are the most common tart cherry variety you’ll find in stores, and they work perfectly here. Fresh tart cherries can be tricky to find outside their short summer season, which is why this recipe smartly relies on frozen and dried options that are available year-round. When shopping for tart cherry juice, look for 100% pure cherry juice without added sweeteners – you’ll find it in the natural foods section of most grocery stores or near other fruit juices. If you’re having trouble finding frozen tart cherries, you can substitute frozen sweet cherries, but the flavor profile will be slightly less complex.

Options for Substitutions

This non-alcoholic sangria recipe can be tweaked in several ways while keeping its festive spirit:

• Tart cherry juice: If you can’t find tart cherry juice, you can use regular black cherry juice or pomegranate juice. The drink will be less tart but still tasty. Just add a splash of lemon juice to bring back some tartness.
• Non-alcoholic prosecco: Other alcohol-free sparkling wines work great here, or try sparkling apple cider or even plain sparkling water with a splash of white grape juice.
• Apple cider: Apple juice works in place of apple cider, though you might want to add a tiny pinch of cinnamon to make up for the missing spice notes.
• Frozen and dried cherries: Fresh cherries work when in season. For dried cherries, try cranberries or dried blueberries instead. Frozen cherries can be swapped with frozen cranberries or mixed berries.
• Spices (star anise, cloves, cinnamon): These spices create the signature flavor, but you can skip one or two if needed. If you’re missing star anise, add an extra cinnamon stick. No whole spices? Use 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon and a pinch of ground cloves instead.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Making

The biggest mistake when making cherry sangria is rushing the reduction process – a properly concentrated cherry base needs at least 20-25 minutes of gentle simmering to develop deep flavors, so keep the heat low and steady.

When adding the spices, avoid the temptation to crush or break them up, as this can make the drink bitter and create unwanted particles – instead, keep them whole and strain them out after the reduction has cooled.

Temperature control is crucial for serving – if your prosecco is too warm, you’ll lose the bubbles quickly, so make sure all components are well-chilled before mixing, and consider keeping your serving glasses in the freezer for 10 minutes before pouring.

For the best flavor balance, taste and adjust the cherry reduction-to-prosecco ratio before serving, as different brands of cherry juice and prosecco can vary in sweetness.

What to Serve With Cherry Sangria?

This alcohol-free sangria pairs wonderfully with light appetizers and snacks that complement its fruity, spiced flavors. A cheese board with mild cheeses like brie or gouda, along with some honey-drizzled nuts and dried fruits, makes for perfect nibbling while sipping. Since this drink has warming spices like cinnamon and star anise, it goes really well with Spanish-inspired tapas like manchego cheese, marinated olives, or thin-sliced prosciutto. For a casual gathering, you could also put out some simple spiced nuts or a bowl of marcona almonds to match the drink’s cozy vibe.

Storage Instructions

Keep Fresh: The cherry reduction can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. It’s great to make this ahead so you can quickly mix up drinks whenever you want!

Mix Later: For the best fizzy experience, don’t mix the full sangria until you’re ready to serve. Keep your cherry reduction and apple cider separate from the prosecco. When party time comes, just combine everything and add your garnishes for a fresh, bubbly drink.

Garnish Tips: If you’re prepping ahead for a party, you can have your garnishes ready to go. Keep frozen cherries in the freezer (they work great as ice cubes!), and have your cinnamon sticks and star anise stored in a dry place until serving time.

Preparation Time	10-15 minutes
Cooking Time	15 minutes
Total Time	25-30 minutes
Level of Difficulty	Easy

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 250-300
• Protein: 2-4 g
• Fat: 0-1 g
• Carbohydrates: 65-70 g

Ingredients

For the cherry reduction:

• 1 cup concentrated tart cherry juice
• 1/4 cup dried tart cherries (I use Traverse Bay Farms)
• 2 cinnamon sticks (broken in half for better infusion)
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup frozen tart cherries (or fresh if in season)
• 8 clove buds (whole, not ground)
• 2 star anise

For the sangria:

• 1 bottle non-alcoholic prosecco (chilled before serving)
• 2 fl oz cherry reduction (cooled to room temperature)
• 1 fl oz apple cider (fresh pressed preferred)

For the optional garnish:

• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• tart cherries (fresh or frozen)

Step 1: Infuse the Cherry Base with Warm Spices

• 1/4 cup frozen tart cherries
• 1/4 cup dried tart cherries
• 1 cup concentrated tart cherry juice
• 1 cup water
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 star anise
• 8 clove buds

Combine the frozen tart cherries, dried tart cherries, concentrated tart cherry juice, and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat.

Break the cinnamon sticks in half to expose more surface area for better infusion, then add them along with the star anise and whole clove buds to the pan.

Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes, allowing the spices to fully bloom and the cherries to release their flavor.

I find that breaking the cinnamon sticks really makes a difference—it creates a more balanced spice flavor throughout the drink rather than just adding background notes.

Step 2: Strain and Cool the Infusion

• strained cherry infusion from Step 1

Pour the cherry mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl or pitcher, pressing gently on the solids to extract all the flavorful liquid while leaving the spent cherries, cinnamon, star anise, and cloves behind.

Discard the solids.

Let the strained cherry infusion cool to room temperature—this takes about 15-20 minutes and is important because we’ll be combining it with chilled prosecco shortly.

For faster cooling, I like to transfer it to a shallow bowl or set it in an ice bath for 5-10 minutes.

Step 3: Assemble and Serve the Sangria

• cooled cherry reduction from Step 2
• 1 fl oz apple cider
• 1 bottle non-alcoholic prosecco
• ice cubes
• tart cherries for garnish
• 1 cinnamon stick for garnish
• 1 star anise for garnish

Fill a glass with ice cubes, then pour in 2 fl oz of the cooled cherry reduction from Step 2 and 1 fl oz of fresh pressed apple cider.

Stir gently to combine these two components.

Top the glass with chilled non-alcoholic prosecco, filling it almost to the rim, and stir once more to blend all the flavors together.

Garnish with a fresh or frozen tart cherry and a cinnamon stick placed across the top of the glass, and serve immediately while the prosecco still has its effervescence.