One-Bottle Vermouth Sangria

Sweet vermouth is a cheat code for quick sangria. This cocktail staple is a ready-made combination of the classic Spanish pitcher drink’s principle ingredients—wine, spirits, and sugar—and it has already been infused with deep, complex flavor by the pros. All you need is to pour it in a pitcher and add a squeeze of fresh citrus juice, some chilled club soda or seltzer for fizz, and the ripest summer fruit you can get your hands on—pull from a flat of berries or throw in a fragrant peach or nectarine. Add more lemon or seltzer to taste as needed; different vermouths vary in sweetness.

This is the kind of easy pitcher drink you can mix up just about anywhere, even the cramped galley kitchen of your vacation rental. (You swear it looked SO much nicer in the listing.) Feel free to batch it up in the morning—just hold off on adding the club soda and ice until just before serving. This effortless sangria recipe will work with any sweet vermouth you’re able to find—just make sure it’s not the bottle you opened last summer. Stocking up? We like vanilla-scented Carpano Antica and warmly spiced Foro Rosso here. If you like things a little stronger and more spritz-like, use a dry sparkling wine like Cava in place of the seltzer.