Festive Cranberry Orange Spice Holiday Sangria
Make this crowd-pleasing red wine holiday sangria ahead of time for your winter gatherings. It features seasonal cranberry, orange, and warm spices for a cozy, flavorful sip.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 0 min
- Total Time: 4 hr 15 min
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Cocktail
- Method: Infusion
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 (750 ml) bottle dry red wine (like Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon)
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1/2 cup brandy
- 1/4 cup orange juice, fresh squeezed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 whole star anise
- 1 orange, thinly sliced
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 large apple, cored and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup sparkling water or club soda (for serving)
- Ice for serving
Instructions
- In a large pitcher or punch bowl, combine the red wine, apple cider, brandy, orange juice, and sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Add the cinnamon stick, star anise, sliced orange, cranberries, and sliced apple to the wine mixture.
- Stir gently to combine all ingredients.
- Cover the pitcher and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight, to allow the fruit to infuse the wine. This make-ahead step deepens the flavor.
- When ready to serve, remove the cinnamon sticks and star anise.
- Pour the sangria into ice-filled glasses. Top each glass with a splash of sparkling water or club soda for effervescence.
- Garnish each serving with fresh fruit slices or a sprig of rosemary, if desired.
Notes
- For a white winter sangria ideas variation, substitute the red wine with a dry white wine like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.
- If you prefer a stronger spice flavor, gently muddle a few of the cranberries before adding them to the pitcher.
- This recipe is easy to scale up for large Christmas cocktail recipe parties.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 glass
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 22
- Sodium: 15
- Fat: 0.2
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.2
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 25
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 0.5
- Cholesterol: 0