Red Wine Christmas Sangria
Red Wine Christmas Sangria makes a beautifully festive cocktail made with red wine, brandy, liqueur, fresh fruit, and agave nectar. Doubling this recipe for parties is highly recommended because it disappears fast!
I love Sangria any time of year, but a large pitcher of this delicious red wine cocktail looks especially festive for the holidays. I use agave nectar in my cocktails as a substitute for sugar and simple syrup. It’s a little sweeter than table sugar, so add it to taste if you are making your own substitutions. This Sangria recipe is a staple for my holiday parties, along with my favorite non-alcoholic cranberry Christmas punch. It’s an amazing low-sugar punch recipe that tastes just as good as the original version. These Christmas drink recipes have become quite popular at holiday gatherings. I always get requests for the recipes!
You don’t have to throw a party to make this recipe, feel free to hoard this pitcher all to yourself. No judgment here. 😉
How To Make Red Wine Sangria
Ingredients:
- 1 (750-ml) bottle red wine
- 1/4 cup brandy
- 1/4 cup orange-flavored liqueur (recommended: Triple Sec or Grand Marnier)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1/4 cup light amber agave nectar
- 1 orange, thinly sliced
- 1 pear, cut into chunks
- 1/2 red apple and 1/2 green apple, cored, and cut into chunks
- 1 (750-ml) bottle sparkling water, chilled
Directions:
Prepare your fruit…First, rinse and core the pear and apples.
Next, slice the orange and chop the pear and apples into chunks.
Cover and chill completely, 1 to 2 hours. When ready to serve, add the sparkling water.
How To Serve Christmas Sangria
Ladle into stemless wine glasses with a garnish of lime or serve in a decorative drink dispenser or glass pitcher with fruit garnish on the side.
What Kind of Red Wine Is Best For Sangria?
A popular Spanish pick for Sangria is Garnacha (aka Grenache) since it’s fruity with notes of ripe cherry. Ideally, you want a dry red wine that’s fruity with low tannins. Other good options are fruity varieties of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Pinot Noir, and Red Zinfandel. I don’t use the cheap stuff, but there’s no need to go with an expensive bottle of wine when you’re adding other ingredients.
How Far In Advance Can You Make Sangria?
If you are whipping this up for a party, you can make this a day in advance to save time. Just make sure that you don’t add the sparkling water until right before serving.
How Long Will Sangria Last?
If you store the sangria in a sealed container in the refrigerator it will keep up to five days, but it’s best consumed in three days or less. Since Sangria is made with fresh fruit it does need to be stored in the refrigerator for maximum freshness.
More Festive Holiday Cocktail Recipes
Orange Cranberry Prosecco Cocktail
Christmas Sangria
Ingredients
- 750 ml bottle red wine
- 1/4 cup brandy
- 1/4 cup orange-flavored liqueur recommended: Triple Sec or Grand Marnier
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1/4 cup light amber agave nectar
- 1 orange thinly sliced
- 1 pear cut into chunks
- 1/2 red apple cored, and cut into chunks
- 1/2 green apple cored, and cut into chunks
- 750 ml bottle sparkling water chilled
Instructions
- Slice and chop the fruit
- Combine everything but the sparkling water in a large plastic container or glass pitcher.
- Cover and chill completely, 1 to 2 hours.
- When ready to serve, add the sparkling water.
Nutrition
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I love Sangria year round too and this is similar to mine but I like the idea of Agave syrup instead of all of that sugar. Thanks for the tip! 🙂
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http://carriesexperimentalkitchen.blogspot.com/2011/12/liebster-blog-award-ii.html
Do you have to add the sparkling water?
You don’t have to add it, but I highly recommend it. It would be very strong and a little too sweet IMO without it.
This looks really wonderful! So fruity and refreshing. I love this kind of drink in the middle of winter. Feels almost like summer 😉
xo,
~Melissa
http://www.ChinDeep.com
HOW MANY SERVINGS ROUGHLY DOES THIS YIELD?
Hi Kelsi! There are 12 servings 🙂