Festive and easy, this Christmas Sangria is a must for all your holiday gatherings! White wine, cranberries, and apples blend perfectly with fresh orange juice, brandy, and club soda and finished with wintry garnishes of rosemary, and star anise. This sangria is as beautiful as it is merry!
The holidays are a great time of the year to enjoy family, food, and festive drinks, like this white Christmas sangria.
It’s bubbly, and delicious, and thanks to the cranberries, apples, star anise, and rosemary sprigs, it looks beautiful in a glass.
Christmas Sangria is the perfect big-batch drink to make for your holiday gatherings since it can be made a day ahead (minus the cranberries and club soda – save those for when your guests arrive) and is incredibly easy!
Serve this wintry sangria in a punch bowl, pitcher, or glass beverage dispenser so your guests can help themselves and you can have one less thing to worry about!
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- White wine. Use a dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.
- Orange liqueur. We used Grand Marnier but any orange liqueur such as Gran Gala will do.
- Brandy (not pictured). Brandy provides great flavor to any sangria!
- Orange juice. We used freshly squeezed but you can also use store-bought.
- Apples. Granny Smith are great hear for a nice color contrast to the cranberries.
- Cranberries. Be sure to save some extra frozen cranberries for garnish and to keep your drinks ice cold!
- Sparkling water. You can also use flavored seltzer or club soda.
- Rosemary and Star Anise. For a beautiful, festive garnish!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make it
- Slice 2 large Granny Smith apples and squeeze enough juice from an orange to equal 1/4 cup.
- Add the apple slices, cranberries, orange juice, 2 star anise, 2 ounces of orange liqueur, and 2 ounces of brandy to a pitcher and stir gently to combine.
- Add 1 750ml bottle of dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio, to the pitcher and stir. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but ideally overnight.
- Right before serving, add 16 ounces of sparkling water along with the frozen cranberries and stir.
- Add some of the fruit to each glass along with some extra frozen cranberries, pour the Christmas sangria, and serve garnished with a sprig of rosemary and a star anise. Enjoy!
More holiday cocktails
Here are a few of our favorite cocktails to serve around the holidays. For more drinks, check out our full cocktail catalog.
- Eggnog White Russian – with vodka, coffee liqueur, and egg nog.
- Cranberry Mule – with vodka, lime, ginger, and cranberry juice.
- Thanksgiving Sangria – with pears, apples, pear juice, and apple vodka.
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Christmas Sangria
Ingredients
- 2 large Granny Smith apples sliced
- 2 cups cranberries plus more (frozen) for garnish
- 2 dried star anise plus more for garnish
- 2 ounces Grand Marnier or Gran Gala or other orange liqueur
- 2 ounces brandy
- 2 ounces orange juice
- 1 750 ml bottle dry white wine
- 16 ounces sparkling water
- rosemary sprigs for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pitcher combine the apple slices, cranberries, and star anise with the Grand Marnier, brandy, and orange juice and stir to combine.
- Add the white wine to the pitcher and stir again, then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Add the sparkling water and stir.
- Add some of the fruit to each glass, then pour the sangria and garnish with a sprig of rosemary and frozen cranberries. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- We used a Pinot Grigio but any dry white wine will work here.
- Feel free to be creative with garnishes. Fresh orange slices make a great garnish too!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What alcohol could be substituted for the brandy. Thaks
Triple sec would be fine or you can omit.
I showed my daughter the beautiful pictures of the Sangria. She said I have a party to attend Dec 3rd send me the recipe that looks amazing. She made it and said it was great! Thank you Tara and Jim!
Hi Angie, thank you for the comment and so happy to hear your daughter enjoyed the sangria!