Thursday, November 29, 2012

Holiday Sangria

We're hosting Christmas this year!  I'm super excited to entertain my parents and in-laws for such a special holiday!

I'll be testing out some recipes over the next few weeks and sharing them here with you.

First up is my Holiday Sangria.  I researched various sangria recipes, and used inspiration from them to create my own recipe.  It's sweet, tart, spiced, and smells like Christmas.  Try it at your next party!


Bonnie's Holiday Sangria

Ingredients:
  • 1 pomegranate, seeded (see my hint below)
  • 6 ounces fresh cranberries
  • 1 pear, cut into small pieces
  • 1 small green apple, cut into small pieces
  • 1 bottle red wine (I prefer Cabernet or Red Zinfandel)
  • 3 cups ginger ale
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Dash allspice

Method:
  • Remove and keep the seeds of the pomegranate.  Make it easy by removing the seeds while holding the fruit under water in a large bowl.  The seeds sink, the white stuff floats, and the seeds that pop won't spray all over you.
  • Cut pear and apple into small pieces.  Don't peel them - the green peels look pretty in the finished product
  • Put all the fruit in a large pitcher
  • Add spices
  • Add wine, and stir to mix. Make sure fruit is covered by the wine to prevent browning.  At this point, you can cover and refrigerate and wait to finish the sangria closer to the start of your party.
Holiday Sangria
  • Close to serving time, add the ginger ale
  • Stir well and serve in clear glasses.  Spoon fruit into the glasses if it's not pouring well.
  • Enjoy!

Looking for more great holiday drinks?  Check out these Christmas Cocktails!

Washington Apple shots and martinis

Grasshopper shots and martinis


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15 comments:

  1. This looks delicious! I am definitely going to make this for our Christmas party :)

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  2. How far in advance can this be made? Id like to make it for Christmas gifts

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    1. Great question! I made mine earlier the same day and it was fine, but I'm not sure how the fruit would do for longer. If you test it out, let us know!

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  4. What do you mean by 'all spices'?

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    1. Great question! Allspice can be found in the spice section of most grocery stores.

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  5. this looks great! what size bottle did you use, regular or large format? how many servings would this recipe make?

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    1. Hi Katie! Thanks for reading!

      I used a 750 mL bottle. If you use the bigger ones, just double the recipe. Once made, this recipe yields about 48 oz. of liquid, not counting the fruit. It depends on what you serve it in - a regular wine pour is a little over 4 oz. So in wine glasses, you'd get about 12 servings. In larger cups, expect fewer servings.

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  6. CAN YOU USE DRIED CRANBERRYS? I LIVE IN GREECE AND YOU CANT FIND FRESH. ALL SPICE IS ANOTHER PROBLEM,CAN I SPICE IT UP WITH SOMETHING ELSE.

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    1. I would skip the cranberries and use something else, like blackberries or more of the other fruits. Instead of allspice, you could do just the cinnamon, or add a dash of nutmeg or another warm spice. The fun part of sangria is that you can make it whatever you want - you don't have to follow rules :)

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  7. I have purchased all the ingredients to make this on Monday but I just wanted to double check that I don't do anything to the cranberries. I don't cook them down for a little bit or anything?
    I'm so excited to try this! !!
    Thanks for the great recipe!

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  8. Hi, I have all the ingredients but I wanted to make sure I don't do anything to the cranberries. I don't cook them down or anything?
    Thanks for this great recipe! I can't wait to try it on Monday!

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