Refreshing Berry Sangria Popsicles

Happy Wine Wednesday, beautiful people! To celebrate the first full day of summer, I’m sharing one of my absolute favorite summer treats: Berry Sangria Popsicles!

These delightful, berry-licious beauties are perfect for the 21+ crowd at your next pool party, July 4th Barbecue, or Thursday afternoon!

This post contains affiliate links. I will receive a commission for purchases made through these links, at no extra cost to you.

Brain Freeze Storm

Berry Sangria has held a special place in my heart for almost a decade. (That’s some pretty generous rounding, but “seven years” just sounded too specific.) I had my first taste of this sweet nectar a few months before my wedding in 2010, and I was hooked. It became the signature drink at my bridal shower, bachelorette party, and wedding reception. I loved it SO MUCH that I just couldn’t bear to part with it, so I poured some down the front of my wedding gown for safe keeping!!!

Okay, that was more a tragic example of my epic clumsiness, but it did nothing to lessen my sangria-love.

With my Berry Sangria Craze still firmly in place, it was only a matter of time before I started looking for new and exciting ways to enjoy this tasty treat. So, I did what any self-respecting Southerner would do, and I put it on a stick!!!

Guess what?!? It turns out that Sangria is EVEN. BETTER. when you freeze it!!! These Berry Sangria Popsicles are bursting with bold, vibrant flavors and the brightness of fresh summer fruits. They’re just sweet enough to not be “tart”, cold enough to combat the summer humidity, and boozy enough to take the edge off even your worst Monday ever.

They may also impart superpowers, but that’s not been proven or even really hypothesized by anyone but me.

Ready to make your own? I thought so… Let’s do this!

 

 

Making Magic

I have a confession that I’m slightly embarrassed totally cool with making – I LOVE boxed wine. Not all boxed wine, but one in particular. Peter Vella Merlot. It’s my stuff. It’s affordable, versatile, and seriously delicious. Granted, it’s sweeter and slightly less full-bodied than your fancier bottles of Merlot, but that’s EXACTLY what I love about it. And it’s what makes it perfect for these Berry Sangria Popsicles!

Berry Sangria is not built on wine alone. Brandy and Chambord (a delicious raspberry liqueur) combine to really pump up the big bold flavors of this magical concoction.

These popsicles need a little extra sugar to balance out all the booze. This is where simple syrup saves the day!!! Typically, you would prep simple syrup in a saucepan on the stovetop, and let it cool before you use it. I’m not that patient. I just mix equal amounts of sugar and water in a microwave safe bowl and nuke it for about 30 seconds. Stir to dissolve the sugar, and it’s good to go. You can totally impress your friends with that super-fly cooking hack. Probably. Maybe.

And last, but certainly not least, these Berry Sangria Popsicles are rounded out with – you guessed it! – fresh berries! I used Blueberries, Raspberries, and Strawberries for mine, but you can use whichever you have on hand, or leave the fruit out altogether if you prefer.

NOTE:

You can use your favorite red wine for this recipe, but you may need to adjust the amount of simple syrup you add to balance your sweetness. Taste your mixture before the simple syrup, then add it in as needed for maximum deliciosity!

Helpful Tools

If, like me, you’ve had horrible experiences with popsicle molds in the past, I highly recommend this one from Amazon: (This is an affiliate link.) Norpro Frozen Ice Pop Maker with 24 Wooden Sticks It is the first one I’ve ever used that didn’t tip over or leak at all and I used it for both this recipe and my Fruity Rosé Popsicles with fantastic results!

Clumsy like me? Here is the super-lightweight spouted measuring cup I used in both recipes: (This is also an affiliate link – purchasing from it helps keep me in wine!) Arrow Cool Grip Measuring Cup 2.5c – 1 Count

Sangria on a Stick

I really hope that someone out there is enough like me to A) know who Jeff Dunham is, and B) read that in José Jalapeño’s voice as “on a steeck”. Anyone? No? Okay, just me then… Let’s ignore my awkward self and build some popsicles!!!

If you’ve been hanging around here for a while, you probably know that I tend to be a bit klutzy. If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with Spills-Stuff-Often-Itis, try mixing up the 8 oz. of Merlot, 1 1/3 oz. of Chambord, 1 oz. of Brandy and about 1 Tbsp. of Simple Syrup in a spouted measuring cup.

 

 

You’ll want to strategically layer your fruit in your popsicle molds for picture-perfect Berry Sangria Popsicles. This is art, people! Unless of course you chose to forego the fruit, in which case you may ignore this particular paragraph and the artistic temperament within. For each mold, you will need two slices of strawberry, two whole blueberries, and one halved raspberry. Place one strawberry slice in the bottom of your mold, arrange the blueberries and raspberry halves over it, and top it off with your second strawberry slice. This spreads the fruit out enough to give you a bit in every delectable bite!

Finally, pour your Berry Sangria mix into each mold until it is almost full. The fruit likes to dance around a bit when the alcohol hits – kinda like me – but it should still be nicely spread out. Now put the lid on your mold, add your popsicle sticks, stick them in the freezer, and wait.

NOTE:

My popsicle molds each hold 3 ounces, and since I was adding fruit I only made 11 ounces to fill my five molds! However, if your popsicle molds are larger or smaller, you may find you need to adjust the recipe a bit to compensate. I’ll be happy to help you do that if you just let me know in the comments! Of course, you could always just double the recipe so you have some sangria to drink while your popsicles freeze!

 

Party Time

These popsicles take about 5 hours to freeze. You may remember that I hovered over my Rosé Popsicles like a helicopter parent at the playground. Don’t be like me. Let your Berry Sangria Popsicles meditate in an uninterrupted state of chill for at least five hours, and preferably overnight. As my Mom always says, patience is a virtue!

When you’re ready to sample the berries of your labor (see what I did there?), fill a large pot with warm water, then set the mold inside so the water comes up to the top of each popsicle. Wait about 20 seconds, and your Berry Sangria Popsicles will slide right out.

You can enjoy them on their own, but if you want to add some extra fiesta, serve them with a glass of red wine to catch any drips!

 

Where will you enjoy your Berry Sangria Popsicles? What else would you like to see me turn into a popsicle? Let me know in the comments!

 

 

Can’t Bear to Live Without Them? Print the Recipe!