Holiday Sangria
A festive adult beverage perfect for the holidays. Makes a perfect hostess gift too! Inspired and adapted from FoodandWine.com
Ingredients
- For the spiced simple syrup:
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- 2-3 cinnamon sticks
- sliced orange peel (orange part only)
- 1 inch piece of peeled fresh ginger
- 1 tsp whole cloves
- 1/2 tsp whole peppercorns
- For the sangria
- 1 750ml bottle red wine (merlot or cabernet)
- 1/3 cup simple syrup
- juice from 1 orange
- 1/4 cup rum or brandy
- 1/4 cup orange flavored liquor (triple sec, Cointreu, Grand Marnier)
- sliced oranges, chopped apples (red and green), chopped pears
- frozen blackberries for serving
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, orange peel, ginger, cloves and peppercorns and bring to a boil. Continue to simmer while stirring and dissolving sugar. Boil until reduced a bit and slightly syrupy, about 15 minutes. Let simple syrup cool, strain and store in a glass jar in refrigerator. (You can use syrup for sangria or to sweeten tea, or sparkling water.)
- To make sangria: In a large pitcher combine all ingredients. Let refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight for best flavor.
Notes
Tip: Great to bring to any holiday party! Save your empty wine bottles and corks (or purchase cute corks) to use as a container for transporting the sangria. Chop the fruit small enough to fit into the bottles and use a funnel to pour sangria into wine bottle. Makes a great hostess gift!
