Red Christmas Sangria
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Red Christmas Sangria has a base of red wine and is filled with citrus, brandy, spiced simple syrup and ginger ale for a refreshing, bubbly finish! The best drink recipe for all of your holiday parties!

Everyone loves a good Christmas party, but everyone loves a good Christmas cocktail even more! This festive homemade sangria is guaranteed to be a hit at your next Christmas party. But beware, you may need to make a triple batch because it will go fast!
I love to have plenty of refreshments at a party and these Christmas cookies are always a hit. If your party is both adults and kids, this apple cider recipe will give the kids a festive drink while the adults rave over your homemade holiday sangria!
Why You’ll Love this Christmas Sangria
- Holidays can get super busy, which is why it’s great to have things you can make ahead of time. This red Christmas sangria is perfect to make in advance because the longer it sits, the better it tastes!
- Everyone loves a good Christmas punch, so this bubbly Christmas sangria is sure to be a holiday party favorite!
- This Christmas sangria is super easy to make and the flavors are so festive!

What Do I Need to Make Red Christmas Sangria?
- Simple Syrup
- Sugar – The main ingredient for this yummy simple syrup that will add perfect sweetness to your Christmas cocktail.
- Cinnamon Sticks – The signature holiday flavor of cinnamon makes this sangria so festive!
- Star Anise – This warm spice will add depth to your holiday sangria.
- Cloves – Whole cloves are another festive flavor that will pack a punch to this red Christmas sangria.
- Sangria
- Bottle of red wine – Any red wine will do, but a dry wine like cabernet will work best.
- Spiced simple syrup – This is the simple syrup that you’ll make with the first four ingredients.
- Orange juice – Be sure to use 100% pulp free orange juice for the best results! Or you can even hand squeeze your own!
- Brandy – Use your favorite brandy to make this homemade sangria extra boozy!
- Apples – Fresh apple slices will look very elegant in your red Christmas sangria and will add a crisp flavor.
- Oranges – Even though there’s orange juice in this homemade sangria recipe, fresh orange slices take it to the next level!
- Pears – The sweetness of fresh pears will help balance the citrus flavors.
- Ginger ale – If you’re making your holiday sangria ahead of time, be sure not to add this yet. Add it right before serving so the bubbles are fresh!
Can I use store-bought simple syrup?
Yes! You can use store-bought simple syrup instead of making your own if you’d like less steps.
What is the best type of wine to use?
Since you are combining the wine with other ingredients, you can use less expensive wine. Dry wine like cabernet is best for red Christmas sangria.
Helpful Tools




How to Make Red Christmas Sangria
- Make a simple syrup by bringing water and sugar to a boil, remove from heat, add spices, and store in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- The next day, add wine, brandy, orange juice, and the simple syrup into a large pitcher.
- Slice your fruit and add to the pitcher of red Christmas sangria.



What size pitcher do you use?
I used a one-gallon pitcher in order to make a big batch of this Christmas cocktail! You’ll want to make sure that your pitcher has plenty of room for all of the sliced fruit.
How to serve Red Christmas Sangria
You can serve your red Christmas sangria chilled or over ice. Use a large wine glass or goblet glass. Garnish your glass with extra fruit slices or cinnamon sticks for some extra flair!
How should I store Holiday Sangria?
Simple syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for one week.
Holiday sangria can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days. Just be sure not to add ginger ale before storing your homemade sangria. After adding ginger ale, it will not store well.
Tips for the best Red Christmas Sangria
- To keep your homemade sangria from watering down, serve with frozen fruit instead of ice cubes!
- Squeeze fresh orange juice to make this holiday sangria even more tasty.
- Add cranberries and pomegranates to your sangria to make it more festive!
What are the best fruits for a sangria?
Though orange are the most popular fruit to use in sangria, you can substitute limes or lemons and still get the same citrus kick that you need! You can also add apples, strawberries, pineapples, peaches, cranberries, and pomegranates.
How long can Sangria sit out?
You should plan to put it back in the refrigerator within 2 hours. However, it will be such a hit, it’ll probably be gone before then!

Now that you know just how easy this Red Christmas Sangria is to make you’ll be enjoying it all of your holiday parties! So much flavor and its make ahead friendly to take the stress out of entertaining.
More Cocktail Recipes You’ll Love
- Not a fan of sangria? Try out this mulled wine recipe!
- Fans of the classic whiskey sour will love this recipe.
- Use your leftover orange juice from your red Christmas sangria ingredients and make these mimosas the next morning!
- Another boozy holiday drink, this Spiked Apple Cider is cozy and warming.
- Sweet White Christmas Sangria is an easy alcoholic beverage made with dry white wine, brandy, peach cranberry juice, spices and fruit.
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!

Red Christmas Sangria
Ingredients
Simple Syrup:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 Star Anise
- 4 Cloves
Sangria:
- 1 bottle of red wine 750 ml
- ½ cup spiced simple syrup
- 1 cup orange juice
- ¼ cup brandy
- 2 apples sliced, divided
- 2 oranges sliced, divided
- 2 pears sliced, divided
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 star anise
- 2 cans Ginger Ale 12 ounces each
Instructions
Spiced Simple Syrup
- Add water and sugar to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Whisk until sugar has dissolved.
- Pour simple syrup into a glass jar, Add cinnamon sticks, star anise, and cloves to the jar.
- Cool simple syrup completely and remove spice after 24 hours.
Red Christmas Sangria
- In a large pitcher, add red wine, ½ cup simple syrup, ¼ cup brandy, 1 cup orange juice. Stir to combine.
- Slice 1 apple, 1 pear, and 1 orange and add to the pitcher with sangria mixture.
- Refrigerate the pitcher until ready to serve.
- Add ginger ale to pitcher before serving or top each glass individually over ice.
- Pour sangria into the serving glass.
- Garnish with extra fresh fruit if desired.
Tips
- To keep your homemade sangria from watering down, serve with frozen fruit instead of ice cubes!
- Squeeze fresh orange juice to make this holiday sangria even more tasty.
- Add cranberries and pomegranates to your sangria to make it more festive!
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