This holiday sangria is easy to make, slightly sweet and filled with holiday fruits like citrus and cranberries. Perfect for entertaining guests this Christmas.
Note: This post was sponsored by Pure Leaf Canada. All opinions are my own as I only work with brands whose products I actually use and enjoy. Thanks for supporting my blog.
Can you believe we’ve hit December already? 2017 is going to be here before we know it and I’m 100% sure I’m not ready for it. That being said, I’m more than ready for all things holiday related. Especially the food and drinks.
So I’m kicking off the holiday season with a glass, or two, of this lemon cranberry holiday sangria and a toast to a mostly amazing 2016.
Sangrias aren’t a drink I usually associate with the holidays. As a Trinidadian, the only drink I really think about over the holidays is Ponche de Creme, which is similar to eggnog for all non-Trinis in the room.
But when Pure Leaf Canada challenged me to work one of their teas in to a holiday recipe, my first thought was a holiday sangria.
Why? Because the first sangria I ever had basically looked like Christmas in a bottle. It had a deep, rich red colour and was filled with fruits I generally associate with the holidays – namely citrus and cranberry.
A basic sangria recipe has fruit, orange juice, sweetener, liquor and sweet, fruity red wine. It’s obviously amazing as is, but I decided to take some liberties with the classic recipe this time around.
I swapped the OJ for a mix of freshly squeezed citrus juice and sweetened lemon iced tea infused with cranberries. I also used maple syrup as a sweetener and replaced the red wine with a citrusy moscato because I wanted something a little fizzy and festive.
I went for brandy with this sangria because it’s what I had on hand but dark rum would also work really well here and should complement the citrus flavours beautifully.
This holiday sangria is sweet but not overpoweringly so due to the citrus and cranberries. It’s also easy to make for large groups which makes it perfect for entertaining guests this holiday season.
And after polishing off a glass or two with ease this weekend, I’m more than ready to add this to my list of favourite holiday drinks.
If you make this holiday sangria, I’d love to hear what you think. Leave a comment and rate the recipe or take a pic and tag it @ExSloth on Instagram!
More alcoholic bevvies:
- 1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
- 1½ cups Pure Leaf Tea Lemon Flavour, divided
- ¼ cup maple syrup, more or less to taste
- ½ cup freshly squeezed citrus juice
- 1 bottle sweet white or red wine, I used Moscato
- ¼ cup brandy (optional)
- ½ an orange, rind on, sliced into small pieces
- ½ a lemon, rind on, sliced into small pieces
- 1 small lime, rind on, sliced into small pieces
- more citrus and cranberries for garnish
- Ice for serving
- In a small sauce pan bring 1 cup sweetened lemon tea, ½ cup cranberries and maple syrup to a boil
- Simmer until cranberries begin to soften and pop then remove from the heat
- Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer and discard the solids
- Add pieces of citrus and remaining ½ cup cranberries to a pitcher then stir in the cranberry and lemon tea mixture, citrus juice, brandy and wine
- Add ice and/or refrigerate to chill
- Serve as is or with more ice and fruit to garnish
Want more holiday drinks? Try these mimosas:
O that sounds delightful! Love Pure Leaf tea!! What a great addition for a wintery cocktail!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine recently posted…Friday Finisher 12/2/16
Love the tea addition! I’ve been on the hunt for some holiday punches and cocktails – bookmarking!
The sangria red is perfect for a holiday drink! Can’t believe it’s almost 2017!
How fantastic! I love the idea of sangria for the holidays. I usually think of it as summer drink, and I have no idea why. Lovely with the cranberries!
I’m with you: not ready for 2017!
And like you I don’t love sweet sangria, but using cranberries and a light hand with the maple syrup as a sweetener, this is one I’m dying to try!
This looks really good! I know what you mean…I like drinking Sangria during the summer months but I do like a good spiced sangria during the holidays and this one looks amazing!! Cant wait to try it!
I love the color of your sangria! It looks perfect for the holidays.
I loooove sangria so I love this idea! This would be so festive and perfect for a party!
can’t wait to try this! what do you use for the “citrus juice”?
Hi Carissa! I did a mix of fresh squeezed orange, lemon & lime but store bought or whatever you have in hand should be fine. Just make sure the blend is slightly on the sweeter side (so mostly orange) since the cranberry is so tart. Let me know what you think when you try it! 😊
thank you! prepping for it right now and will serve in the morning! i’ll take a pic and let you know how the group likes it!
Awesome. Can’t wait to hear what you think! Just a quick note if you’re making it ahead of time, don’t add the citrus in till tomorrow. The rind will make it a bit too tart.
The Pure Leaf Tea Lemon Flavour got me wanting to try this. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I`ll try this one.
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