Musician-Turned-Chef Kelis Shares Her Favorite Red Sangria Recipe

If her milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, then her sangria really gets the party started. We’re talking about Kelis, of course—the award-winning, genre-defying singer-songwriter who also happens to be a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef, cookbook author, and purveyor of gourmet sauces and other farm-fresh sundries.

“Sangria feels like summer to me,” Kelis told us, adding that her love affair with the fruity, wine-based beverage began when she was living in Spain (which is where it originates). “It’s refreshing, delicious, and looks really pretty in a big jug. I serve it all the time when I entertain at home.” To make Kelis’ signature red sangria recipe, all you need is some fresh fruit and a few simple ingredients from Thrive Market. Clean and organic wines from our sommelier-curated collection make it easy to create a big-batch cocktail that’s sure to please a crowd at your next picnic, barbecue, or outdoor soiree.

Kelis’ Favorite Red Sangria Recipe

Active time: 5 minutes
Total time: 1–2 hours (to chill and infuse fruit)
Yield: 4–6 servings

Ingredients

1 (750 – mL) bottle Las Cepas Rioja Costalarbol, or another medium-bodied red wine
½ (750 – mL) bottle high-quality tequila or rum
1 cup (or to taste) agave or liquid sweetener of choice
1 tablespoon Thrive Market Organic Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Thrive Market Organic Ground Nutmeg
1 teaspoon Thrive Market Organic Ground Cinnamon
Handful fresh mint sprigs
Fresh cherries, grapes, sliced apples, and orange wedges
1 (750 mL) bottle chilled sparkling mineral water

Instructions

In a large pot or bowl, combine the wine, tequila or rum, agave, vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon and stir.

Add the mint sprigs and fruit, cover, and refrigerate for 1–2 hours to allow the fruit to marinate.

Just before serving, add the mineral water and transfer to a glass jug.

More of a white wine drinker? To turn this into a white sangria recipe, just swap in a Pinot Grigio and thick slices of citrus.

Looking for more cocktail recipes? Any of these three simple sips made using a spicy, citrusy wellness tonic as the base ingredient would be the perfect refreshments for an outdoor gathering.

Want more star-studded recipes? We talked to TV chef Giada De Laurentiis about her wellness routine, and she shared how to make a colorful, plant-based stir-fry that cleverly puts leftover brown rice to good use.