PrintUltimate Cranberry Orange & Spiced Apple Holiday Sangria (Red Wine)
Make this festive red wine holiday sangria for your next gathering. It combines seasonal flavors like cranberry, orange, apple, and warm spices, and you can prepare it ahead of time for easy entertaining.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 0 min
- Total Time: 4 hr 15 min
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Cocktail
- Method: Infusing/Chilling
- 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 liqueur (like Cointreau or Triple Sec)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3 whole star anise
- 1 large orange, thinly sliced
- 1 large apple (like Honeycrisp or Fuji), thinly sliced
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 cup sparkling water or club soda (added just before serving)
- Ice for serving
Instructions
- In a large pitcher or punch bowl, combine the red wine, apple cider, brandy, orange liqueur, and sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Add the cinnamon sticks, star anise, sliced orange, sliced apple, and cranberries to the wine mixture.
- Cover the pitcher and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight, to allow the fruit to infuse the wine with flavor. This step makes it a perfect make ahead holiday drink.
- Just before serving, remove the cinnamon sticks and star anise. Gently stir in the sparkling water or club soda.
- Serve the holiday sangria over ice, making sure each glass gets some of the infused fruit.
Notes
- For a brighter flavor, use a dry white wine like Pinot Grigio to make a White Winter Sangria variation.
- If you prefer a less sweet drink, reduce the added sugar to 2 tablespoons.
- To make this a crowd pleasing holiday beverage, double or triple the recipe and serve from a large punch bowl.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 1.5 cups)
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 22
- Sodium: 15
- Fat: 0
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 25
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 0
- Cholesterol: 0