HOLIDAY SANGRIA.
Monday, December 6, 2010 at 10:43AM 
We came home from 90' sunshine and 95% humidity, to some of the colder southern California temperatures I have ever felt. It doesn't bother me, I crave seasons, and it gets me in the holiday mood. The music, decorations, friends getting together for ugly sweaters or wine and cheese - it's all just so cozy and festive. It's not the gifts and shopping that excite me in December, it's the good company.
I looked into some sangria recipes, as I wanted something different to bring to a get together this past weekend. The rules here are like that of vegetable soup, you can kind of get away with tossing in anything that's around. It doesn't seem like you can really mess it up. This combination felt 'holiday-ish' to me with all sorts of winter fruits, and the hint of warm spices. I don't like drinks super sweet, so after the fruit sits for a bit, the bit of honey and ginger ale add plenty of sweetness to this sangria. It travels well, and is a nice change from the typical bottle of wine. Put it in mason jars (without the ginger ale), tie a pretty ribbon, and you've got yourself a unique gift. 'Tis the season.
HOLIDAY SANGRIA // Makes one large pitcher
If you are serving this individually, use the ginger ale as a float. If you are leaving the pitcher out for people to help themselves, stir in about half the can of ginger ale.
1 bottle Zinfandel
1/3 Cup Cointreau
1/3 Cup Gran Marnier
1 Can Natural Ginger Ale
1/4 Cup Honey
1 Honeycrisp Apple
1 Large Orange
1 Fuyu Persimmon
1 Pear
2 inches of Peeled Ginger, in rough pieces
2 Sticks Cinnamon
Pinch of Ground Cinnamon
1 Tbsp Dried Cloves
Fresh Mint for Garnish
1. Cut the fresh fruit into thin slices, width wise (so it looks pretty). Toss the fruit, ginger, cinnamon, cinnamon sticks and cloves into the pitcher.
2. Warm the honey just a tad, add to the fruit.
3. Pour the wine, cointreau, and gran marnier to the pitcher. Mix everything around. I left mine at room temperature for an hour to marinate, and then I put it in the fridge for another few hours to cool.
4. To serve, fill the pitcher with ice. Put a few mint leaves in each glass, fill it 3/4 way full with sangria, and top it with ginger ale.
Reader Comments (46)
i'll take sangria any time of year, but ESPECIALLY around the holidays! beautiful photos!
Looks awesome! I do love sangria..Hope you had a great time on your honeymoon :)
This recipe will be perfect for my cocktail party -- I was looking for something that could easily be made in advance (since I'm not hiring a bartender and I don't want to be mixing drinks all night!)
The photo of the cloves, honey, ginger, and persimmon is absolutely striking. Your husband does a wonderful job of doing justice to the beauty of the ingredients.
Thanks so much for sharing.
Cheers,
Stephanie
We'll have to try. Persimmons are Katherine's favourite.
Deeelish. I would like a glass right now!
Yummers. This is a great combination of fruit for this time of year. Look forward to trying this, so pretty too!
Welcome back! I typically don't like super sweet drinks, either, but I'll have to give this recipe a try!
What a lovely gift idea! And welcome back :)
This looks DELICIOUS!! I totally agree about the holidays - the good company is the best thing of the season!
Yum! This looks/sounds delicious! I've never made sangria in the winter, so I think that means I need to give this one a try!
Yum! This looks/sounds delicious!
I've never made sangria in the winter, so I guess this is the perfect chance for me to try it out!
This looks delicious! We almost made a holiday sangria for my own party over the weekend, but went with an herby spritz instead. I agree about preferring less sweet drinks. And I especially agree about December! Cozy times.
Crazy - I was just talking to a friend the other day about wanting to make sangria! We'll definitely have to give this a try at our next party. Thanks (and welcome back!)! :)
i will absolutely be making this to bring to christmas eve. but, more importantly, so glad you're back! hope you had a fantastic time on your honeymoon!
Wow-I love the ginger idea! It's so nice to see a Sangria recipe that doesn't call for Sprite!
Nice! So festive!
Perfect! I love it! I'm a sucker for sangria and this is with a twist i think I'm really gonna enjoy. Happy holidays!
Magda
Looks delicious. I love sangria but have never made it at home. I will have to try this! Thanks for the recipe :D
This looks great! Our Bunco group is getting together next week and this would be perfect.
p.s. I made your apple/mozzerella little hand pies for Thanksgiving. They were so good.
Sounds delicious, I love the addition of so many warm holiday flavors... Thanks for sharing, can't wait to try this for the holidays!
I can't vouch for the recipe, yet, but those pictures are brilliant (especially the third one).
I'm obsessed with the idea of giving these as gifts! That's it, no more shopping for me!!!! :)
This was so yummy!!! I'm making it for my gift exchange party. Thanks Sara and Hugh for the little taste the other day. I love having friends who can mix a drink (and cook). :)
Welcome home! I hope you guys had a wonderful trip. I love the idea of giving this as a gift. Brilliant!
Looks delicious, thanks for the tips. Can't wait to try it out myself!
What a wonderful idea for a gift. Any ideas on how long this would last in the jars?
The photograph of the spices lined up is gorgeous. I really love the feel of the whole post. Once again, amazing work Sara!
So festive! I'm sure it tastes as good as it looks.
yay! So glad you are home from your honeymoon! I hope you and Hugh had a wonderful time.....When are we going to see some wedding pics?! Lovely post as usual...love the honey stick!
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mmm, this looks amazing! hope your honeymoon was incredible. glad to have you back!:)
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When made right, sangria is my drink of choice. This one is definitely made right!
Gorgeous! Never used a persimmon in my life!
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mmmm perfect holiday drink... I'm making it!
Sounds so refreshing. I never had Sangria.
This looks and sounds so good! Your photos are spectacular!
I was JUST going to email my personal cooking consultant (you) about persimmons in Sangria! I looked here first though, and viola! :) I'm now making this tomorrow night - with all these random persimmons I have on hand. Yea!
I made a patch of this sangria on Christmas Eve (thought it would be a perfect compliment to our paella feast). I have to mention that I thought it was cinnamon overkill. If I make the recipe again I would cut back the amount of cinnamon by half (if not more). Also, I am wondering what Zinfandel was used in the recipe? Thanks for posting and I am looking forward to perfecting batch #2. Cheers!
Holiday Sangria
What a beautiful pitcher! Haha. Love!
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Absolutely love this recipe. I tried it out for my holiday party last year and it was a huge hit! Ended up running out to get more ingredients to make another batch. Definitely making a larger amount for my party this year. Thank you! :)