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.
1 and ¾ cups (175g) whole cranberries, 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, 1 cup (240mL) water, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground cloves
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.
3 medium (or 2 large) oranges
Juice the other two oranges and add the juice to the pitcher, along with the reserved mulled cranberry syrup, red wine, and triple sec. Stir to combine.
1 bottle (750mL) red wine1, ⅓ cup (80mL) triple sec
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.
Notes
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.
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.