Winter Sangria

Fill your holiday parties with pitchers of winter sangria – it’s addicting…you might need to make two. Cabernet sauvignon + brandy + cinnamon sticks + orange + cranberries.

The summer I studied abroad in Spain made me forever in love with sangria. I may never be able to re-live drinking sangria on a patio at 4:00 pm for two months straight, but hey…this brings me back! P.S. – It’s mandatory that you eat the fruit after you finish a glass.

Winter Sangria for the Holidays

This sangria is a great option for any parties or get-togethers you’re hosting this holiday season. It’s an easy drink to prep the morning of your party so it has time for the flavors to marry. The winter sangria also makes a beautiful presentation!

One pitcher of sangria is about 4 servings. The party hosting experts suggest to prepare about 3 cocktails per person for your gathering. You can prepare extra pitchers of sangria the morning of your party, and bring them out as needed.

If you’re not a fan of very strong drinks (like my husband), feel free to add some sparkling water or sparkling soda to the sangria. We like to add Fresca Sparkling Citrus flavored soda. It gives the drink a little more fizz, and less of an intense wine flavor.

Serving Sizes

When you’re hosting a party, there’s a secret formula for figuring out how much food and drinks to buy. I have a full guide that you’ll want to grab for the next party you host. It walks you through how to plan the right amount of food so your guests leave feeling full, and there’s no stress of running out.

For now, we’ll just focus on the best serving sizes for drinks. First off, if your guests are not big cocktail drinkers, be sure to have some other drink options available! For beer drinkers, plan on 1-2 beers per hour for each guest. As for wine, you’ll want to plan half a bottle per person.

I always like to have a pitcher of water and glasses out on the counter so guests can refill on water as they’d like.

More Winter Cocktails to Try

Pomegranate & Blood Orange Gin Martini

3 Ingredient Skrewball Whiskey Peanut Butter Cup Shots

Frozen Alcoholic Apple Cider Whiskey Slushies

Sparkling Cranberry Champagne & Tequila Cocktail

Print Recipe

Winter Sangria

Fill your holiday parties with pitchers of winter sangria – it's addicting…you might need to make two.

Prep Time15 mins

Resting Time2 hrs

Total Time2 hrs 15 mins

Course: Drinks

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 apple cored and sliced into thin wedges
• 2 oranges quartered and sliced into wedges
• 1 cup cranberries
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 cups apple cider
• 1/2 cup brandy
• 1 bottle cabernet sauvignon
• additional fruit and cinnamon stick for garnish

Instructions

• In a pitcher, combine the chopped fruit, cinnamon stickets, apple cider, brandy, and cabernet sauvignon. Let sit for 1-2 hours to allow the flavors to marry.
• Fill glass with sangria, and garnish with a cinnamon stick and orange wedge.

Favorite Kitchen Tools from the Post

Be sure you’ve got the right bar tools for your party. You can stock up on some of my favorite supplies:

OXO Corkscrew // Rose Gold Corkscrew
Stemless Wine Glasses (set of 12) // Glass Cocktail Pitcher

Did you make this recipe?!

Let me know how you liked the recipe! Comment below, or share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #HomebodyEats. Happy cooking, Homebody family!