Cranberry Sangria

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This Cranberry Sangria is filled with holiday flavor! It is the perfect drink to serve on Thanksgiving and Christmas with the festive vibes it brings. Guests will love this flavorful and fruity Fall and Winter Red Wine Sangria.

wine glass full of sangria topped with orange slices, pomegranate arils, and cinnamon stick

I love a good party. I really do. What I don't like is getting bombarded with guests at one time and trying to be the best host ever and worry about drinks, when I'm busy in the kitchen. It gets the anxiety from a five to an eight.

Throwing a Holiday Party Tip #1: Have an area ready where guests can get their own drinks. Cue the Sangria! This is a great additional holiday option, rather than just pouring a glass of wine. Have a few pitchers ready to go, and your worries are out the window. Just kidding, the guests need food too, but I can totally help with that. We got this!

hand holding bottle of snoop dog cali red wine by 19 crimes

I used a 19 Crimes Snoop Dog Cali Red blend, that tasted really great in here. Here is the link for the description and/or to order:

https://www.19crimes.com/wines

I love Snoop. Mostly that he is friends with Martha Stewart. Wouldn't it be fun to have a coffee or cocktail date with the two of them? It would need to take place at Martha's house in New York on the hundred something acres. I AM OBSESSED with that property. Sorry about the tangent..back to the Sangria.

Ingredients for the Holiday Cranberry Sangria:

Red Wine- As mentioned, I used a Cali Red Blend. For a Sangria, most critics like a Pinot Noir. It is a dry wine, but filled with fruity flavor.

Cranberry Juice- Perfect for Holidays with the tartness and adds some sugar to our Sangria

Orange Juice- Just a touch for added citrus

Fresh fruit- Pomegranate arils, oranges, and apples to help build a seasonal flavor

Cinnamon sticks- My favorite holiday spice and a perfect addition to any Fall or Winter drink

Bubbly Water- Adds a touch of fizz to the Sangria. I also like it to dilute the strength of the alcohol. Guest can sip on a few over the day, instead of getting drunk as a skunk and embarrassing themselves at a holiday party. Been there, done that.

Q & A:

How long does this need to sit before serving:

1 to 2 hours. This isn't an overnight recipe because we have apples in there. They will get yucky after a bit.

What the Best Wines for Red Wine Sangria?

Pinot Noir is the most commonly used red wine for Sangria. A Cali Red Blend was used in my recipe & it was also delicious.

How should Sangria be stored and served?

Use a pitcher. Make a few of these up and store in the fridge and replace as one gets empty.

How to Make Cranberry Sangria:

Begin by cutting up the fruit and placing it in the bottom of a pitcher. Add 2 cinnamon sticks.

Pour the entire red wine bottle and 2 cups of cranberry cocktail into the pitcher.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.

Time to Serve

After 1 to 2 hours, fill wine glasses less than half way full with ice. Add a few pieces of fruit into the wine glass and pour ⅔ full with Sangria.

Top with a splash of orange juice and fill the rest of the way with bubbly water.

Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Author: Tara Smithson
Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Yield: 5 Servings 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Ingredients

Scale

Regular size (25 ounce) bottle of Pinot Noir or Red Wine Blend (19 Crimes Cali Red Snoop Dog or Apothic Red Blend)
2 cups Cranberry Cocktail Juice
2 oranges sliced
About 1 cup of pomegranate arils from a large pomegranate
1 sweet apple (Gala, Honeycrisp) sliced into slices
Optional: A small bottle of Orange Juice and a few cans of Bubbly Water, like La Croix, to top off Sangria at Serving
7 Cinnamon sticks- 2 for Sangria and 5 to garnish each wine glass

Instructions

Begin by cutting up the fruit and placing it in the bottom of a pitcher. Add 2 cinnamon sticks.
Pour the entire red wine bottle and 2 cups cranberry juice into pitcher.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.
After 1 to 2 hours, fill wine glasses less than half way full with ice. Add a few pieces of fruit into the wine glass and pour ⅔ full with Sangria.
Top with a splash of orange juice and fill the rest of the way with bubbly water.
Garnish with a cinnamon stick.