Gin Sangaree

The Sangaree family takes its name from the Spanish sangre, meaning blood, a reference to the deep red color of the fortified wine drinks that first bore the name. The earliest known mention appears in a 1736 issue of The Gentleman's Magazine, which described a London punch-seller devising a new drink from strong Madeira wine that he called Sangre; later cocktail historians have questioned whether this account genuinely marks the drink's invention or simply its first written record. Through the 18th century the sangaree spread through Britain's American colonies as a simple mix of fortified wine, water, sugar, and grated nutmeg, with citrus dropping out of most versions by the 19th century.

The gin version was codified alongside five other base spirits in Jerry Thomas's 1862 guide, How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, which listed separate Sangarees made with port wine, sherry, brandy, gin, ale, and porter, each built simply with sugar, water, and ice. Harry Craddock's Savoy Cocktail Book later carried the sangaree tradition into the 20th century with its own sherry and port versions. The drink is often confused with sangria, a related but distinct Spanish wine punch that shares the same root word but is a separate, later drink first popularized in the 20th century.