This festive spiced sangria is the perfect drink for any occasion in autumn and winter! It has the holiday's most iconic flavors, including orange, cranberry, and cinnamon.
In a medium saucepan, add the cranberry juice, one cinnamon stick, 2 star anise, peppercorns, half of an orange (sliced), and 1 cup of fresh cranberries.
Turn the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the mixture to a 2-quart pitcher through a fine strainer and chill until cooled.
Pour in the wine, orange juice, triple sec, and grenadine, and give it a good mix.
Add the cranberries, star anise, cinnamon stick, orange and apple slices, and mint.
Chill for 1 to 2 hours and stir before serving. Serve over ice.
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Notes
This recipe makes enough to fill a 64oz/2 quart/2 liter pitcher
Star anise adds a hint of licorice-like flavor,so go easy on it if you’re not a fan. You can substitute it with juniper berries, whole allspice, or a few cloves.
Add iceto the glass, not the pitcher – Chilling as you drink is always best so it won’t water down the whole batch.
Taste for sweetness before adding the grenadine – some brands of cranberry juice can be quite sweet, so taste to see if the grenadine is needed before adding it to the pitcher. Alternatively, you can leave it for guests to add themselves so they can decide on the sweetness.