Christmas Sangria: a kitchen method

Glasses of Christmas sangria garnished with fresh fruit, cinnamon and rosemary.

This Christmas sangria recipe is a blend of white wine, brandy, apple cider and holiday flavors including oranges, cinnamon and cranberries. The reliable festive drink for winter parties!

I always like to have some great drink recipes and cocktails on hand for entertaining during the holiday season. Some of my favorites include a cranberry mimosa, Jack Frost cocktail, Grinch cocktail, champagne punch, Christmas margarita and this tasty and beautiful holiday sangria.

Sangria is an memorable drink to enjoy year round, but it’s especially fun to do a winter version for the holidays. This Christmas sangria is loaded with color and flavor, and is even better when made ahead of time!

Christmas Sangria Ingredients

Ingredients including bottles of brandy, wine, apple cider, ginger ale and also fruit and spices.

To make this recipe, you will need a bottle of white wine, unsweetened cranberry juice, sparkling apple cider, ginger ale, brandy, cinnamon sticks, apple, orange, star anise and fresh cranberries. You can garnish the drink with a sprig of rosemary and extra star anise.

How Do You Make Christmas Sangria?

Place the wine, brandy and cranberry juice in a large pitcher. Add the cinnamon sticks, orange slices, apple slices, star anise and fresh cranberries. Place the pitcher in the fridge to chill for at least two hours. When you’re ready to serve the drink, add the apple cider and ginger ale. Garnish the glasses with rosemary and star anise, then serve and enjoy.

Wine, juice and brandy being poured into a glass pitcher.

Tips For The Reliable Drink

I recommend using a high quality white wine such as Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio for this recipe.
Add the sparkling cider and ginger ale right before serving for the finest results. Otherwise the drink could go flat if you add the sparkling liquids at the beginning.
You can use any type of apple you like. Some of my go-to options include Pink Lady, Honeycrisp or Granny Smith.
Sometimes I use two smaller clementines rather than a full sized orange for a different flavor and presentation.
Leftover Christmas sangria will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Quick Tip

Choose a Spanish brandy or a Cognac for the finest flavor.

Sparkling cider being poured into a pitcher of sangria.

Recipe FAQs

What is sangria made of?

Sangria contains wine, sliced fruit and cinnamon sticks. It may also have brandy, or other ingredients such as soda or fruit juice.

What fruit should I put in sangria?

You can put many different types of fruit in sangria. Some popular options include apples, oranges, raspberries, blueberries, pineapple, strawberries or grapes.

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A pitcher of Christmas sangria filled with sliced fruit and cranberries.

Flavor Variations

While this recipe is tasty as is, there are so many different ways to customize Christmas sangria to your tastes.

Juice: Swap out the cranberry juice for orange juice, pomegranate juice or pear juice. You could also use ginger beer instead of ginger ale.
Fruit: Try adding other fall and winter fruit such as sliced pears, limes, lemon or pomegranate seeds.
Liquor: Try other types of wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling. You could also use orange liqueur instead of brandy.
Garnishes: Garnish your glasses with sugared cranberries, mint sprigs, cinnamon sticks or crystallized ginger.

I make a batch of holiday sangria every year on Christmas Eve. It’s the finest way to celebrate the season!

More Festive Drink Recipes

Cranberry Margarita

10 mins

Christmas Punch

6 mins

Mugs of Kinderpunsch topped with cranberries and orange slices.

Kinderpunsch (German Christmas Punch)

35 mins

Poinsettia Cocktail

5 mins

Cranberry Moscow Mule

10 mins

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Add as Google preferred source Authorthe Makdob kitchen Glasses of Christmas sangria garnished with fresh fruit, cinnamon and rosemary.

This Christmas sangria recipe is a blend of white wine, brandy, apple cider and holiday flavors including oranges, cinnamon and cranberries. The reliable festive drink for winter parties! Time Prep Time15 minutes
Chilling Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 15 minutes

Course Drink
Cuisine American
Serves 6

Ingredients

750 ml bottle white wine such as chardonnay or pinot grigio
1/2 cup cranberry juice unsweetened
½ cup brandy
1 apple sliced
1 orange sliced
½ cup fresh cranberries
4 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise
1 cup ginger ale
1 cup sparkling apple cider
rosemary sprigs and star anise for garnish

Instructions

Pour the white wine into a large pitcher.
Add the cranberry juice and brandy.
Place the apple slices, orange slices, cranberries, cinnamon sticks and star anise in the pitcher.
Stir, then chill the white wine mixture for at least 2 hours.
Remove the pitcher from the fridge, then pour in the apple cider and ginger ale.
Serve, with extra star anise and rosemary sprigs for garnish if desired.

Notes

Add the sparkling cider and ginger ale right before serving for the finest results. Otherwise the drink could go flat if you add the sparkling liquids at the beginning.
You can use any type of apple you like. Some of my go-to options include Pink Lady, Honeycrisp or Granny Smith.
Sometimes I use two smaller clementines rather than a full sized orange for a different flavor and presentation.