Cranberry Sangria is perfect for this holiday season. Delicious holiday cocktail made with fresh cranberries, cranberry flavored vodka, juice and red wine.
Looking for more holiday cocktails? Check out our Winter Margarita, Spiked Hot Chocolate, and Coquito.
Cranberry Sangria
Every holiday celebration need a delicious holiday drink.
With all the holiday parties coming up, you will need to serve a festive cocktail to your guests. I have just the right cocktail for you right here. It is so delicious! It has great cranberry flavor from including fresh cranberries simmered with sugar. This cocktail is rich but not too sweet so it will compliment a nice variety of appetizers as well as desserts.
For this cranberry sangria, I suggest that you use sweeter, fruitier red wine. Since this sangria is made with fresh cranberries, fruity medium or full bodied wine will bring out more flavor of the berries. Try using Beaujolais or Shiraz.
If you want to play around with flavor, try using apple juice instead of cranberry juice. You can also cut up some fresh apple slices and add them to the pitched right after sangria has been prepared.
How To Make It:
In a small pot, combine cranberries, sugar, and lemon juice and stir well. Bring to simmer over medium heat and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook, covered, until most of the cranberries are soft, some will be mushy.
Add vodka to the pot and cook for about 5 more minutes, uncovered and only gently simmering. Transfer cranberry mixture to the pitcher. Let it cool to room temperature.
Add wine and juice and stir well. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Add club soda right before serving and stir carefully.
What Red Wine To Use:
I recommend using a rich, full bodied red wine with fruit notes. My favorite wines to use in a red sangria are Zinfandel, Malbec, Bordeaux, Petite Sirah and some Pinot Nior.
Make sure you love the taste of the wine you use! Even through there are other ingredients added, the wine is still very important.
Notes on the Vodka:
Cranberry flavored vodka will add to the cranberry flavors in the sangria but it’s not always easy to find. (Many flavored vodkas are often not gluten free as well.) So if you need to substitute, that is not a problem. You can use classic vodka without a flavor and still get plenty of cranberry flavor from the juice and actual cranberries.
Cranberry Sangria
Ingredients
- 750 ml sweeter red wine try Shiraz or Beaujolais
- 150 ml cranberry vodka
- 14 oz cranberry juice
- 10 oz club soda
- 8 oz fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- In a sauce pot, over medium-low heat, combine cranberries, sugar and lemon juice. Stir well. Cover and cook until most of the cranberries are soft, some will be mushy.
- Add vodka to the pot and cook, uncovered, for about 5 more minutes.
- Transfer cranberry mixture into the pitcher and let it cool to room temperature. (About an hour.)Note: if your pitcher is not heat-proof, make sure to cool the cranberry mixture in the cooking pot first and then transfer it into the pitcher.
- Add wine and juice. Stir well.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
- Add club soda right before serving and stir carefully.
Nutrition
Naira S says
Made Cranberry Sangria this Christmas Day for my friend. Everyone loved it. And it’s a great conversation piece.
lyuba says
That is awesome, Naira!! I’m so glad everyone liked it and that you had a good time 🙂
Thank you!
Naira S says
Made Cranberry Sangria on Christmas Day for my friends…what a success! Conversation piece. Everyone loved it.
Erin @ The Speckled Palate says
What a gorgeous drink! I ADORE this and bet it tastes amazing, too! Definitely perfect for this holiday season.
Thanks for sharing my recipe as another one for folks to check out, too. Always fun meeting new bloggers and getting to see what they’re making!
kristi@ishouldbemoppingthefloor says
What an absolutely gorgeous drink, friend!! Cheers to YOU!
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
Absolutely breathtaking — and the drink sounds pretty good too 🙂 Your photography is beyond description — you certainly are an inspiration for perfection. It isn’t easy capturing liquids and you did an excellent job. The drink is on my to do list.
Chris @ Shared Appetite says
What a beautiful Christmas drink! Love the color! This is so perfect for easy entertaining!