Winter Sangria

5 from 6 votes

This spiced winter sangria is made with a mulled cranberry syrup, cinnamon and cloves, freshly squeezed orange juice, triple sec, and red wine.

Prep Time30 mins

Chilling Time12 hrs

Total Time12 hrs 30 mins

Servings: servings

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, water, cinnamon, cloves, and 1 cup (100g) of the cranberries. Bring to a boil and immediately turn down to a simmer.
Simmer the mixture for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, and being careful not to let mixture boil over sides of saucepan. After 10 minutes, cranberries will be macerated and mixture will have thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Once cranberry mixture has cooled, strain through a mesh sieve, cheesecloth, or fine strainer into a small container. Save the cranberry chunks to use as chutney², and set aside the mulled syrup.
Slice one large orange and add the slices to the bottom of a large glass pitcher. Muddle oranges with a muddler or wooden spoon.
Juice the other two oranges and add the juice to the pitcher, along with the reserved mulled cranberry syrup, triple sec, and red wine. Stir to combine.
Roughly chop the remaining ¾ cup of cranberries, then add to the pitcher. Allow sangria to chill in the fridge minimum of 2 hours (the longer the better). Serve chilled with a cinnamon-sugared rim³.

Red wine: be sure to use a good, quality red wine. Avoid using a very expensive one, since you will be adding to it, but choose one that you enjoy drinking by the glass. Deep and fruity vs super dry is ideal for sangria.
Cranberry chutney: don't throw away your chutney! Spread on crackers or bread, spread on a block of cream cheese to eat with crackers or bread, or use as a sandwich spread. You can also serve it with pork, lamb, or venison. Similarly, see my mulled cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving, which is essentially the same thing.
To serve sparkling: right before serving, top off your pitcher with sparkling water, seltzer, club soda, or ginger ale.
Winter sangria for a crowd: this recipe doubles nicely, as one recipe uses exactly half of a traditional 12oz bag of cranberries.