Christmas Sangria

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Enjoy this Christmas Sangria recipe after a long day of holiday fun. With notes of pomegranate, cranberries, and cinnamon, this sangria recipe puts a wintery twist on a summer classic.

A Christmas Sangria with a sprig of rosemary in it.

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Holiday Cocktail Recipe for a Party? Serve Christmas Sangria!

This is a great holiday sangria recipe to serve if you’re having a Christmas cocktail party. Host your party in early December, so your guests won’t be too busy with their Christmas plans, and make sure to send out your invitations.

Choose a theme and decorate your dining room with elegant Christmas décor and festive wine glasses, and don’t miss the opportunity to dress up! Of course, no Christmas party is complete without a delicious tray of appetizers- see what to serve with this sangria recipe at the bottom of this page!

Why This Christmas Sangria Recipe is a Keeper

  • 10 Minute Prep: Make this holiday sangria days ahead of time, and serve when ready.
  • Easy Ingredients: Use the wines and fruit that you have on hand and enjoy!
  • Party Friendly: Serve this signature drink and enjoy the gathering.
  • Adaptable: Make this holiday drink low-calorie or with different flavors. Make a lush red sangria recipe. Make the recipe with a dry red wine and frozen cranberries for the perfect Christmas drink.
  • Serve: Serve sangria in a stemless wine glass and add some blood oranges, it is perfect for Christmas morning. The sangria looks as pretty as it tastes and you will love this Christmas sangria.

If you’re looking for more cocktail Christmas recipes, try these: Apple Pie Moonshine, Cranberry Moonshine, and Apple Boilo Cocktail.

Where Does Sangria Come From?

Two of the festive drink in clear glasses.

You may already know that sangria originates in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). However, you may not know that it has its origins in Greece and Rome. The ancient Greeks and Romans drank a similar spiced wine called “hippocras,” which was introduced to Spain when the Phoenicians brought grapes to the peninsula.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, England and France adopted their own variants of Sangria, and it later became popular in the United States thanks to the 1964 World’s Fair. Today in Europe, sangrias must be produced in Spain or Portugal and contain less than 12% alcohol by volume to be considered as such, but people all over the world still enjoy making their own homemade sangria.

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Ingredient Notes for Holiday Sangria

You only need a few easy ingredients for this simple recipe, perfect for Christmas. Here are some important ones:

  • White Wine: Most white wines are low in tannins, making then less bitter than red wines. Whip up a batch of sangria with a bottle of wine that you love to drink. A dry white wine pairs well with the fall and winter flavors.
  • Adding Fruit: Fun festive red and green fruits are a wonderful addition to the drink, such as fresh cranberries, apples and kiwi. These are all perfect for sangria and add a great spin to your favorite winter cocktail.
  • Torani Syrup: This recipe uses pomegranate-flavored syrup, but you can use any one you’d like.

See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.

Variations and Substitutions to Make this Christmas Sangria

  • Sugar Free: Use a sugar-free Torani syrup to lower the calories.
  • Non-Alcoholic Wine: Use grape juice, cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, ginger beer, or non-alcoholic wine for an all-ages festive sangria punch.

How to Make Sangria

This Christmas sangria only takes two steps. Combine, serve, and enjoy!

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These are the basic steps for making Christmas sangria. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.

Step 1: Combine

First, in a large pitcher, combine the wine, pomegranate syrup, oranges, apples, cranberries, pomegranate seeds, and cinnamon sticks. Stir to combine. Chill in the fridge for at least four hours.

Step 2: Serve

When ready to serve, pour the sangria over ice. Add the sparkling apple cider and garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary.

Recipe FAQs to Make Christmas Sangria that will Never Miss

Traditionally, red sangria is made in Spain, since the word “sangria” translates to “blood.” You can use any kind of red wine that you like. I tend to use fruitier varieties such as a Merlot or Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, or the Spanish Garnacha or Tempranillo. But there are no hard and fast rules, which is why white sangria recipes are so popular. For a white wine sangria, I like to use a light, fruity wine, such as Moscato, Pinot Grigio, or Sauvignon Blanc. But use the wine like you like to drink.

You can use whatever spices you’d like. Try cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves.

Make sure to mix your ingredients correctly. Always start with alcohol, then flavorings, then any fruit or bubbly at party time. Make it ahead of time so that your flavors have time to blend together.

A close up view of the Christmas sangria.

Expert Tips for Making This White Wine Sangria Recipe with Sparkling Apple Cider and Cranberry

  • Add More Alcohol: White rum, brandy, vodka, triple sec, or orange liqueur add a nice kick to this favorite recipe.
  • Shortcut tip: Freeze orange juice, orange slices, or grapes to make ice cubes for your winter sangria.
  • Variation tip: Sparkling water, or add a little ginger ale, or club soda can be poured in to taste to make the cocktail less potent.
  • Simple Syrup: Replace the Torani syrup just make the simple syrup with sugar and water.
  • Edible Glitter: Add edible glitter for a truly sparkling sangria. Love a good sparkle, then you need to make this holiday classic.
  • Red Wine Sangria: A sangria made with red wine is rich and decadent. Add fresh fruit for the best red sangria. Making the best by adding your favorite red.

What to Serve with Easy Christmas Sangria

A Christmas Sangria with a sprig of rosemary in it.
4.84 from 6 votes

Christmas Sangria

Yield: 12 people
Prep: 10 minutes
Chill Time: 4 hours
Total: 10 minutes
This delicious Christmas Sangria recipe is one of my favorite white sangria recipes.  It’s bursting with Christmas flavors like cranberries, pomegranates and cinnamon. 
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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review below!

Ingredients

  • 2 750 ml White wine, use your favorite variety
  • 1 cup Torani Pomegranate syrup
  • 2 Oranges, Sliced thin
  • 2 Apples, chopped
  • 1 cup Cranberries
  • 1 cup Pomegranate arils
  • 2 Cinnamon sticks
  • 2 cups Sparkling cider
  • Rosemary sprigs for garnish

Instructions

  • In a large pitcher, combine the wine, pomegranate syrup, oranges, apples, cranberries, pomegranate arils and cinnamon sticks.
  • Chill for at least four hours.
  • Stir in the sparkling cider.
  • Serve with rosemary sprigs for garnish.

Expert Tips

 
  • Add More Alcohol: White rum, brandy,vodka, orange liqueur add a nice kick.
  • Short cut tip: Freeze orange juice, orange slices, citrus such as limes, lemons etc or grapes to make ice cubes for your winter sangria.
  • Variation tip: Sparkling water, ginger ale or club soda can be pour in to taste to make the cocktail less potent.
  • Spices: Make like an iced mulled wine by adding spices such as cloves or star anise.
  • Simple Syrup: Replace the torani syrup with a simple syrup made with sugar and water.

Estimated Nutritional Information

Calories: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 161mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 73IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 0.2mg
The nutritional information provided are estimates. To learn more about how I calculate this information go to www.itisakeeper.com/about-its-a-keeper/privacy-disclosure-policies/
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Course: Beverages and Cocktails
Cuisine: Spanish

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