Sake sangria for a crowd

Sangria is made for gatherings: one pitcher, lots of fruit, everyone helps themselves. Making it with sake gives you something lighter in color and softer in flavor than the usual red wine version, with the gentle fruit and rice notes of the sake running through it. It's easy to make ahead, and it looks great on the table.

Why sake works in sangria

Sangria is traditionally made with wine, fruit, and often a splash of brandy. Sake is a natural swap for the wine. A good Junmai Ginjo already has fruity notes like melon, pear, and white peach, so it pairs easily with fresh fruit. Its soft umami and crisp finish keep the pitcher from tasting too sweet.

We skip the extra spirits. Sake on its own gives the pitcher plenty of character, and leaving out brandy keeps it a relaxed drink to sip through a long meal. If you want to know how sake's strength compares to wine and spirits, read how strong is sake.

The recipe

Makes 1 pitcher, about 8 small glasses

• 720 mL chilled Junmai Ginjo sake (four 180 mL cans of WESAKE, or one 720 mL bottle)
• 1 white peach or nectarine, thinly sliced
• 1 ripe pear, thinly sliced
• 1 orange or 2 mandarins, sliced into rounds
• 1 lemon or lime, sliced into thin rounds
• A small handful of green grapes, halved
• 4 fl oz (120 mL) white grape juice or pear juice
• 1 to 2 tbsp honey syrup or simple syrup, to taste (optional)
• About 16 fl oz (480 mL) chilled sparkling water, to top
• A few mint or shiso leaves
• Ice

How to make it

1. Put all the sliced fruit in a large pitcher.
2. Add the juice and the syrup, if using, and stir gently.
3. Pour in the chilled sake and stir again.
4. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours so the fruit flavors the sake.
5. Just before serving, add the mint or shiso and top with sparkling water.
6. Serve in small glasses over a few cubes of ice, with a spoonful of fruit in each.

Add the sparkling water at the last moment so it stays lively. If the pitcher will sit out for a while, top up each glass with sparkling water as you pour instead of adding it all at once.

Choosing the sake

Pick a light, aromatic sake you'd happily drink on its own. Junmai Ginjo is ideal: it's fruity and smooth without being heavy. Read more in what is Junmai Ginjo.

WESAKE cans work well here. Four cans add up to 720 mL, the same as a standard bottle, and you can open them one at a time as you build the pitcher. The can's dry and light character, soft umami, and crisp finish keep the sangria fresh rather than sweet.

If you're using the Sakura bottle, its soft floral aroma and white peach and pear notes are a natural match for the fruit in this recipe. Recap any sake you don't use and keep it cold; see how long does sake last.

Fruit swaps by season

The recipe is flexible. Use what's ripe:

Season	Try
Spring	Strawberries, kiwi, cucumber, mint
Summer	White peach, nectarine, melon, berries
Fall	Pear, apple, persimmon, grapes
Winter	Mandarin, blood orange, pomegranate seeds, yuzu or Meyer lemon

Cucumber adds a cool, garden-fresh note in warmer months. A few slices of fresh ginger give a gentle warmth in winter. Keep the fruit thinly sliced so it releases flavor quickly and is easy to spoon into glasses.

Hosting tips: pace the pitcher

Sangria is cold, fruity, and easy to like, so a few simple habits help everyone enjoy it at a comfortable pace:

• Use small glasses. A wine glass or tumbler filled about halfway with sangria, ice, and fruit is plenty per pour.
• Pour as you go. Keep the pitcher in the fridge or on ice and refill glasses when they're empty, rather than topping up half-full ones.
• Serve it with food. Sangria is a drink for the table, not a stand-alone round.
• Put water out too. A pitcher of sparkling water with lemon slices next to the sangria looks just as festive, and guests can alternate.
• Offer a zero-proof pitcher. Make a second pitcher with the same fruit, juice, and sparkling water, no sake, for anyone who isn't drinking.

What to serve with it

Sake sangria is bright and fruity, so it loves salty, crispy, and lightly spicy food:

• Grilled chicken skewers, shrimp, or corn
• Fried chicken or tempura
• Tacos, ceviche, or a big platter of chips and salsa
• Cheese boards with fresh and soft cheeses
• Summer salads with stone fruit

For more ideas, see our sake food pairing guide.

Other easy crowd serves

If you're hosting and want options beyond the pitcher, a tall sake highball or a sake spritz is quick to build glass by glass. For simple ways to serve single cans, read ways to serve the can.

Ready to make a pitcher? Start with four cold cans of WESAKE, a Junmai Ginjo brewed in Niigata. Find the details on our sake page.