Looking for a festive drink to serve at your holiday party? What about something you might be able to batch before your guests arrive? This Christmas Cranberry Sangria recipe is the perfect solution! This easy drink is simple to make and tastes delicious. Plus, it’s perfect for a crowd. Keep the drinks flowing by mixing up a batch of this delicious sangria today!
Here’s the deal. Sangria is the worlds easiest cocktail. Which makes it perfect for the holidays because it requires little to no time to prepare. In my world, that is music to my ears, especially on Thanksgiving because who has time to whip up some elaborate cocktail while juggling the Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Gravy etc and then dessert. Whew. I’m tired just thinking about it!
This Cranberry Sangria is LOADED with a few of my favorite fall things like persimmons, oranges, brandy (obviously) and cinnamon sticks. It’s vibrant, flavorful, and you should probably make a giant batch of this for Thanksgiving. Make it the night before so all you have to do on the big day is take the pitcher/punch bowl out of the fridge and let your guests go to town.
Here’s what to look for when it comes to making a Red Wine / Cranberry Sangria:
Red Wine – you want something that you’d drink on it’s own! Nothing too sweet as we are adding fruit and some cranberry juice and those both will sweeten things up a bit!
Fun fruits – seeing as how it’s fall, persimmons and oranges are my go to here! Cranberries add a pop of color but don’t add too much flavor as they stay whole.
Brandy – You know that old bottle of brandy that’s sitting in your liquor cabinet… it’s for sangria!! We use brandy almost never but it’s great to have a bottle on hand to add a splash into this recipe.
This Thanksgiving, ditch the wine bottle and go for something a little different with this Cranberry Sangria recipe. This easy-to-follow guide will have you impressing your family and friends in no time with its perfect balance of tart and sweet flavors. So what are you waiting for? Get mixing!
Did you like this cranberry sangria recipe? Try these other sangrias!
- Sangria 101
- Sangria 2 ways (white wine sangria + spiced cranberry sangria)
- Sparkling Citrus Pineapple Sangria
- Stone Fruit and Strawberry Sangria
- Strawberry and Peach Rosé Sangria
- Citrus and Basil Sangria
Cranberry Sangria
Ingredients
- 1 bottle red wine I used Cab Sauv
- 1 cup cranberry juice
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup brandy
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 2 persimmons cut into small wedges
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 orange cut into wedges
Instructions
- Combine everything in a large pitcher or sangria bowl and refrigerate for 2-3 hours, or overnight before serving.
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking
Forget waiting…this needs to happen in my kitchen tonight!
Love this festive drink!
Ohhhhhh. I need this sangria!!
Oh girl, I need this in my glass tonight!!
Slurp! I need a refill already. Sounds delish!
Gorgeous holiday drink, Gaby! 🙂
Bring on the festivities! This looks so pretty – but not too pretty to drink!! Bottoms up!
This would be so perfect to serve in a big punchbowl at parties! I bet it would be a huge hit – love those spicy-sweet flavors, Gaby!
I am totally making this for all my siblings when we get together next week- it’s beautiful Gaby!
Officially on my Thanksgiving grocery list! Can’t wait to make this!
Mmm! This looks so rich and delicious!
Yum! This looks great for Thanksgiving : )
What a beautiful pitcher of goodness! I love this idea. Easy, pretty, alcohol…it has it all!
Such lovely flavors for this time of year, and so pretty, too!
I made this for a Friendsgiving today. It was amazing!!! This recipe is a keeper!!!
I made this to go with our Thanksgiving dinner and it was delightful! So festive and tasty. Thank you for sharing, it is a KEEPER!!!
This is perfect for holiday parties!!! Did you use a regular sized bottle of wine (750ml) or the large one? When I make summer sangria I use the large bottle of Gallo?
750 ml bottle 🙂
Thank you!
Hey! i’m planning on making this for my holiday party this week, did you use fresh orange juice or is bottled fine? Thanks!
either one works! but I use the fresh OJ from Trader Joes 🙂
What flavor or type of brandy do you recommend?
Oh I’ve never used flavored brandy. Didn’t even know it existed 🙂 I just use the regular!
i feel silly asking this, but can you eat the cranberries? Or are they way too tart?
they are a bit tart since they are raw 🙁 but they look pretty!
How many servings does this make?
6-8!
Is there a substitute for the persimmons?
any winter fruit!!
I am wondering if you can use another liquor.. I. Nit a brandy fan… Would bourbon wor
I haven’t tried it but I bet it would be good!
It was delicious, just be careful it is very tasty… meant to be shared…taste like happiness in a glass – cinnamon, orange juice, wine, cranberries etc.
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a big hit! I added mulled wine spices so it tasted like mulled wine on ice! I also froze cranberries in the ice cubes and garnished with an orange slice. It was so pretty!