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!
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
-
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
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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
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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!