Festive Red Sangria for the Holidays: A Delicious and Easy Recipe for Your Next Party (2024)

The holidays are a time for celebration, and what better way to celebrate than with a pitcher of festive red sangria? This refreshing and delicious drink is perfect for any gathering, big or small.

It's also straightforward to make ahead of time, so you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your loved ones.

Festive red sangria is a beautiful and delicious addition to any holiday party. It's also a great way to use up leftover fruits and spices. It’s a perfect beverage for hosting a holiday gathering; make a pitcher of festive red sangria. Your guests will love it!

What is Sangria?

Sangria is a mixed alcoholic drink from Spain and Portugal. Red sangria is made with red wine and white sangria with white wine.

What goes into a Sangria?

• Red or white wine, depending on which type you are making

• Fruit juice, typically an orange juice

• Sweeteners such as simple syrup or sugar (I used cinnamon simple sugar. See recipe below)

• Fruit, such as sliced oranges, limes, or lemons. Sliced pears, peaches, nectarines, or apples. I also put cherries, blueberries, strawberries, and grapes.

• Flavored liqueurs, rum, brandy, or cognac.

The wine you use when making a Sangria will make or break the overall taste no matter what you put in it afterward. If you choose a bitter cheap wine, you will spend all day trying to fix the overall flavor.

A red sangria is best when using a fruity red wine like Grenache or Tempranillo (commonly blended with Grenache, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon). Avoid red wines with too many tannins in them. It will compete with the drink’s fruitiness and overpower that sangria, making it too bitter.

Party Tip:

When serving sangria for a crowd, i prefer a beautiful punch bowl. It makes for a great presentation with lovely fruit and cranberries floating on top of the sangria. Best of all, guests can serve themselves. Place a laddle into the sangra with cups NEARBY so that they can serve themselves as much as they want.

*** Big tip: If you have children at your party, be sure the punch is labeled as an alcoholic beverage, and tell the parents and children that the punch is not for children’s consumption.

I also serve a delicious alternative non-alcoholic punch for the children located elsewhere and far away from the alcoholic punch just for the children. By placing the non-alcoholic punch far away from the alcohol, your risk of the child consuming alcohol is much less.

**** I’ve seen children mistakenly consume spiked punch at other people’s homes when parents were not paying attention to what children were doing. Open houses and holiday parties are so much fun, but we must keep everyone safe.

Basic Recipe for Festive Holiday Sangria:

Ingredients

• 1 bottle (750ml) red wine - Garnacha (Grenache) or Pinot Noir.

• 1 cup (237ml) orange juice

• 1/2 cup (118ml) rum: you can use either light or dark rum

• 3 oz (89ml) simple syrup or maple syrup

• 2 whole sticks cinnamon

• 1 orange, cut in rounds

• 1 lime, cut in rounds

• 1 lemon, cut in rounds

• 1 pear, seeded and thinly sliced

• 1 1/2 cups either sparkling soda or flavored lemon-lime soda

• 1/2 cup of whole cranberries - washed

  **I will often use a homemade cinnamon simple sugar recipe by The Spruce Eats and add 2 cloves and 1 star anise. I also love to use maple syrup. I have a favorite bourbon maple syrup to sweeten my sangria. It is so delicious. You don’t have to, but it creates a richer, more decadent, flavorful sangria. Just a splash of maple syrup adds so much additional flavor.

How to prepare Sangria:

Mix all ingredients in a pitcher or punch bowl—taste to see if it is sweet enough. If not, add a bit more simple syrup or real maple syrup. I sometimes add just a little maple syrup since it gives the sangria a bit more depth of flavor.

Let the sangria stand from 1 hour to overnight for all the favors to incorporate. I let it stand overnight most of the time. Remove whole cinnamon sticks. Add ice 1/2 hour before serving.

If serving in individual glasses, garnish with whole cranberries and sprigs of rosemary for a more festive look and feel.

As with everything I post on my blogs, please feel free to comment, or if you have any questions, please email me through my contact page. I welcome it anytime!

Happy entertaining, my friends!

Mary

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