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You are here: Home / Drinks / Christmas Sangria

Christmas Sangria

December 13, 2018 By Spices in My DNA 13 Comments

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This Christmas Sangria is the most festive red sangria recipe for all of your holiday celebrations! It’s the best red sangria ever, and it’s SO easy to make. It’s made with your favorite red wine, a touch of cinnamon simple syrup, pomegranate juice, cranberry juice, a little orange liqueur, pomegranate arils, sliced oranges, honeycrisp apples, and fresh cranberries!

Forward facing shot of a wine glass filled with red sangria, garnished with a rosemary sprig, with another glass behind it, with crushed ice, christmas ornaments, a plaid scarf, and twinkle lights in the background

This is my favorite red sangria recipe I’ve EVER made, so much so that I’m going to make it year round. Not just the holidays! It’s unbelievably good. The cinnamon simple syrup adds the perfect amount of spice, and the pomegranate and cranberry juices taste amazing with the dry red wine. It’s just perfectly balanced and just so, so delicious!

Forward facing shot of a wine glass filled with red sangria, garnished with a rosemary sprig, with another glass behind it, with crushed ice, christmas ornaments, a plaid scarf, and twinkle lights in the background

I did name this Christmas sangria just because it’s super festive and fun, but it’s amazing for any holiday gathering! And I’m definitely going to be making this year round because it’s THAT good.

A few things that I always add to my red sangrias no matter what: orange liqueur (Grand Marnier specifically), some type of simple syrup (in this case, cinnamon!), apples, oranges, and whatever other fruit I’m feeling! The GM is a game changer in sangria, and I always use it in my margaritas too. The simple syrup helps to balance everything out and to slightly counteract the orange liqueur, and the dryness of the red wine too. Apples and oranges are always a must, but I added cranberries and pomegranate arils to this one too! Because hello, how festive and gorg are they?!

Overhead shot of a wine glass filled with red sangria, sugared cranberries, orange slices, a cinnamon stick, and a rosemary sprig

I also took the festive-ness a step further and made sugared cranberries because I love making them this time of year. They’re such a beautiful addition to desserts and cocktails and they’re super simple to make. Totally optional, but who wouldn’t want sparkly snow covered sugary cranberry balls in their drink?!

To say I’m obsessed is an understatement.

Forward facing shot of a glass pitcher filled with red sangria and red wine being poured into it with christmas ornaments, a plaid scarf, and twinkle lights in the background

This recipe is perfect for make-ahead because who has extra time during the holidays? Definitely not me. You can make the simple syrup ahead of time, as well as the sugared cranberries, and you can put everything together in a pitcher and store it in the fridge for hours before you want to consume it.

I wouldn’t go as far as leaving it overnight, because the fruit could get weird, but the simple syrup and cranberries can be made days ahead of time!

Overhead shot of a pitcher filled with red sangria, fresh cranberries, apple slices, and pomegranate arils with christmas ornaments, fresh holly, and twinkle lights scattered around it

I used one of my favorite full bodied, dry red wines for this recipe. Mine was a cab, but a red blend or garnacha would be amazing here too.

I prefer something on the sturdier side for this sangria – a pinot might be too light with all the flavors we’ve got going on. That being said, use something that you love to drink on its own!

Forward facing shot of a wine glass filled with red sangria, garnished with a rosemary sprig, with another glass behind it, with crushed ice, christmas ornaments, a plaid scarf, and twinkle lights in the background

I can’t get over how much I love this – it’s SO good! Dangerously good, in fact. It goes down waaaaay too easily.

Close up shot of a wine glass filled with red sangria, an orange slice, sugared cranberries, a cinnamon stick, and a rosemary sprig with another glass behind it

I love garnishing this sangria with a cinnamon stick and a sprig of fresh rosemary. And don’t worry – it won’t make your drink taste like rosemary! It just makes it extra festive and beautiful.

My favorite apples to use in this are honeycrisp apples because they’re the best ever, and I used regular navel oranges in this, but blood oranges or cara cara oranges would be wonderful and super festive because they’re in season! And they’re so gorgeous too.

This sparkling sangria is also a fantastic cocktail to add to your holiday menus. You could even serve it with this one at a party if you wanted a white and red sangria option!

Forward facing shot of a glass pitcher filled with red sangria and red wine being poured into it with christmas ornaments, a plaid scarf, and twinkle lights in the background

Also something super fun! This red sangria is part of a fun little collaboration I did with my friends Jess, Allie, and Karlee. Today, two of us are sharing cocktail recipes, and two are sharing cookie recipes! All in time for the holiday craziness. They are all SO insanely talented, and you must check out their recipes!

Smoky Spiked Coconut Chai Tea Latte from Jess – Plays Well With Butter

Triple Chocolate Peppermint Shortbread Cookies from Allie – Miss Allie’s Kitchen

Cardamom Palmiers from Karlee – Olive and Artisan

Forward facing shot of a wine glass filled with red sangria, garnished with a rosemary sprig, with another glass behind it with a hand reaching out to pick it up, with crushed ice, christmas ornaments, a plaid scarf, and twinkle lights in the background

I hope this sangria is a part of your special holiday celebrations – you will absolutely love it!

Forward facing shot of a wine glass filled with red sangria, garnished with a rosemary sprig, with another glass behind it, with crushed ice, christmas ornaments, a plaid scarf, and twinkle lights in the background
5 from 2 votes
Print

Christmas Sangria

This Christmas Sangria is the most festive red sangria recipe for all of your holiday celebrations! It's the best red sangria ever, and SO easy to make. It's made with your favorite red wine, a touch of cinnamon simple syrup, pomegranate juice, cranberry juice, a little orange liqueur, pomegranate arils, sliced oranges, honeycrisp apples, and fresh cranberries!

Course Booze, Cocktails, Drinks
Keyword red sangria recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 -6
Author Molly | Spices in My DNA

Ingredients

For the sangria

  • 1 bottle dry red wine*
  • 1 cup cranberry juice*
  • 1 cup pomegranate juice
  • 1/3 cup Grand Marnier*
  • 3/4 cup cinnamon simple syrup*
  • 1 honeycrisp apple, thinly sliced
  • 1 navel orange, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup fresh cranberries
  • 1/2 cup pomegranate arils
  • crushed ice for serving
  • cinnamon sticks for garnish
  • rosemary sprigs for garnish

For the cinnamon simple syrup

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 cinnamon sticks

For the sugared cranberries

  • 1 (12 ounce) bag fresh cranberries
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided

Instructions

Sangria

  1. In a large pitcher, combine the red wine, cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, Grand Marnier, 3/4 cup of the cinnamon simple syrup, apple slices, orange slices, cranberries, and pomegranate arils. Stir to combine. Chill in the fridge for 2-4 hours or until ready to serve, or serve immediately over crushed ice. Garnish with a cinnamon stick, a sprig of rosemary, and a handful of sugared cranberries!

Cinnamon simple syrup

  1. In a medium saucepan, bring water, sugar, and cinnamon sticks to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes to infuse the cinnamon flavor into the syrup a bit more. Let cool completely, then discard the cinnamon sticks.

Sugared cranberries

  1. Bring water and ½ cup of the sugar to a boil. Once boiling, stir for thirty seconds until dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the cranberries. Stir until completely coated, then transfer to a wire rack to dry. Let dry for 30 minutes, then roll in the remaining sugar, working in batches. Transfer back to the rack, and let dry for an additional hour. Store in a cool, dry place.

Recipe Notes

*I used a full bodied cabernet sauvignon for this recipe, and I find that drier, deeper wines work best for this recipe. A red blend or garnacha would work great here too! A pinot might be too light, but be sure to use something you love to drink on its own!
*Be sure to use plain cranberry juice, not cranberry juice cocktail. It will be too sweet if you use the cocktail!
*I swear by using Grand Marnier in my cocktail and margarita recipes, but you could totally use Cointreau or Triple Sec or whatever you have.
*This makes extra cinnamon simple syrup. I like the balance and flavor that using 3/4 cup has in this recipe, but if you like things less sweet, start with 1/2 cup! And if you like your drinks super sweet, add more to suit your tastes! Extra simple syrup will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks! Add it to cocktails, coffee, desserts, and whatever your heart desires!
*The sugared cranberries can be made up to 3 days in advance, and the cinnamon simple syrup can be made up to a week or two ahead of time!

Forward facing shot of a wine glass filled with red sangria, garnished with a rosemary sprig, with another glass behind it, with crushed ice, christmas ornaments, a plaid scarf, a pitcher of sangria, and twinkle lights in the background

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Filed Under: Drinks Tagged With: booze, cinnamon, cocktail, cranberry, drink, grand marnier, holiday recipe, pomegranate, red sangria, red wine, sangria

Previous Post: « Holiday Dessert Cheeseboard
Next Post: Chocolate Mocha Pecan Salted Caramel Cookies »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cindy

    January 18, 2020 at 3:28 am

    5 stars
    This was easy & a HUGE hit! Post Christmas ~ pre New Years girl’s get together @ my place, everyone still in the spirit of the season, so perfect timing. Although, I’ll be making this various times throughout fall & winter!
    I almost went Fuji, but I’m glad I stuck with the suggested Honey Crisp apples (they were awesome!). I used pineapple chunks too, which tasted good, but with the red blend wine didn’t look appealing (note to self)!
    The cinnamon simple syrup was super easy to make, too, and made all the difference.
    A keeper! Can’t wait to try more variations. :-}

    Reply
    • Spices in My DNA

      January 20, 2020 at 11:57 am

      Thank you so much Cindy!! So glad that it was a hit!! Can’t wait for you to try more variations – that cinnamon simple syrup really is the best! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Christina

    December 24, 2020 at 12:46 pm

    5 stars
    Made this twice now and it is a hit. It’s festive, delicious and beautiful to look at. The Grand Marnier makes it special. Everybody loves it. Makes the spirit bright after one hell of a year.

    Reply
    • Spices in My DNA

      January 15, 2021 at 11:02 pm

      I am so happy to hear you loved it Christina! I’m so glad it could bring you a little joy after this crazy year. Thank you so much for making it and for your comment, it means more than you know! <3

      Reply
  3. Linda M

    December 22, 2021 at 2:07 pm

    I can only find frozen cranberries. Will they still work?

    Reply
    • Spices in My DNA

      December 26, 2021 at 12:04 pm

      Hi Linda! Frozen cranberries contain a lot more moisture than fresh. The sugar might not adhere as well, and might get a little messy. If you use them, I would recommend thawing them, and then rinsing them first, then proceed with the recipe. It should still be ok. Let me know if you try it!

      Reply

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Welcome! I'm so happy you're here. This is the space where I share healthy recipes with a sprinkle of indulgence mixed in! I’m wildly passionate about food, and I grew up in a family of foodies. I was surrounded by it from an early age and immediately fell in love. I love to share super flavorful, unique, and healthy recipes, as well as indulgent, comforting meals we all need from time to time!

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