A delicious holiday sangria recipe for your next party or night in! With no added sugars, this recipe is flavored with hints of orange, cranberry, and cinnamon that will be sure to impress your guests.
When I think of the holiday season, the first thing that comes to mind is cookies and cocktails. Put them together and you have a winning combination. While I would not recommend indulging in either of these things often, who doesn’t love a bite of a chewy and delectable cookie or a sip of a festive holiday cocktail every once in a while?
I love to entertain. When I do, I like to have a signature drink available, especially around the holidays with so many festive flavors to choose from. To me, whether it has alcohol in it or not, a holiday cocktail (or mocktail) adds a little something special that your guests might not expect. This season, I wanted to incorporate wine into my signature drink. I thought I would make a festive holiday sangria with the classic seasonal flavors – orange, cranberry and cinnamon!
Before we dive into this holiday sangria recipe, let’s talk about how to make your cocktails more health-friendly at home.
Did you know that mixed drinks can be loaded with hidden added sugars, calories, and even salt? While you might not have much control over what goes into your drink when out at a restaurant (which is why I tend to stick with beer or wine), you can control what goes in them at home.
5 Tips for Making Healthier Cocktails
Here are my top 5 tips for making cocktails at home that won’t break the nutritional bank (assuming you are drinking in moderation!):
- Avoid pre-made mixers and make your own. The pre-made variety can have a lot of added sugars and salt that you wouldn’t otherwise consume if made from scratch. Yes, it may take more time, but when having a cocktail, you might as well make it a special occasion, right?
- Use 100% unpasteurized or fresh squeezed fruit juices instead of added sugar or fruit cocktails. While fruit does have sugar, it is from a natural source and the better route to take. Plus, fruits have added nutritional value!
- Choose the right bubbles. When adding a little fizz to your drink, aim for sparkling water, kombucha, or a hint of all-natural ginger beer. Try to steer clear of sugary sodas such as coke, ginger ale, and tonic water.
- Make simple syrup with honey. Simple syrup is usually made of 1 part sugar and 1 part water While honey is still sugar, it does have some added health benefits such as antioxidants. Just a few tablespoons in warm water will do the trick in naturally sweetening your cocktail.
- Size and quantity matter. Aim to stick with 8-ounce servings of your chosen cocktail and be mindful of how much you are drinking throughout the night. It can be easy to lose track and the next thing you know, you’ve had more to drink than you intended. Instead of immediately reaching for your next drink, have a glass of water first to keep you hydrated and your alcohol consumption in check.
Now that we’ve talked about how to choose a healthier cocktail, I bet your wondering what nutritious ingredients are in my holiday sangria recipe!
A Holiday Sangria Made Healthier
Made with 100% fresh squeezed orange juice and pomegranate juice for a healthy dose of Vitamin C and antioxidants, this holiday sangria is loaded with fresh fruit (it is a sangria after all!), and topped with an all-natural ginger beer or ginger flavored kombucha, which has anti-inflammatory properties and is a known tummy soother. This holiday sangria would be the perfect compliment to these Black Bean and Spinach Enchiladas for a little fiesta at home… just sayin’.
This festive holiday sangria is easy to make, and can be made ahead of time. In fact, I highly recommend you do so because it gets better the longer it sits, as the flavors get a chance to mingle and have a little party of their own. When ready to serve, garnish with a splash of ginger beer or ginger flavored kombucha and a cinnamon stick!
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Festive Holiday Sangria
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Cocktail
- Method: N/A
- Cuisine: Spanish
- Diet: Low Calorie
Description
A delicious holiday sangria recipe for your next party or night in! With no added sugars, this recipe is flavored with hints of orange, cranberry, and cinnamon that will be sure to impress your guests.
Ingredients
- 1 bottle red wine
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1/2 cup 100% pomegranate juice
- 1/4 cup orange liquor
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 large red apple, cored and chopped
- 4 tangerines or 2 large oranges, sliced
- 2 cinnamon sticks (plus more for garnish)
- 2 12-ounce bottles ginger beer or ginger flavored kombuchaÂ
Instructions
- Place the fruit and 2 cinnamon sticks in the bottom of a pitcher.
- Add the wine, fruit juices and orange liquor and stir to mix well.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- When ready to serve, garnish with a splash of ginger beer or ginger flavored kombucha and a cinnamon stick.
Notes
- A red blend or cabernet would be delicious in this.Â
- Instead of pomegranate juice, you could use tart cherry juice.Â
- Frozen cranberries can be used instead of fresh.
- To cut down on added sugar, use kombucha or a ginger flavored seltzer water.Â
- I recommend making this the night before serving, as the flavors will intensify the longer it sits.Â
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3/4 cup
- Calories: 108
- Sugar: 17g
- Sodium: 4mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: cocktail, festive sangria, healthy cocktail, holidays, menu, recipe, sangria
70 Responses
Love the rosemary too! This looks like a great recipe! Thank you!
Thanks, Wendie!
Oh my! We are having a holiday get together with our friends and I am definitely making this! Thank you as always for sharing awesome healthier options!
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You’re welcome, Maya! I hope you enjoy 🙂
Omgosh I absolutely love the idea of making simple syrup with honey! I think too often at the holidays we don’t think of how alcohol consumption throws off our health goals. Thanks so much for these tips (and the tasty recipe).
I agree, Marie! Liquid calories are still calories and can easy to lose track of. Enjoy!
That looks like holiday in a glass! I am totally making this next week. Sounds refreshing and perfect for holiday parties and meals. I also love that you talked about the hidden calories in most mixed drinks. Very true and something to always be aware of.
Yay! I hope you love it, Ashley! It’s a great drink to have around and full of holiday flavors 🙂
You’re so right about the mixers – they are loaded with sugar and unnecessary ingredients! I love how simple this recipe is and your photos are just stunning!
Thank you so much, Pragati!
This sounds delicious! I love sangria – this is definitely on my holiday drink radar! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Eryn! Sangria is one of my favorite and this recipe is a keeper 🙂
This recipe looks delicious! I love using sparkling water/club soda in my drinks versus regular. It makes me feel way less guilty 😉
Yes, great substitution, Joanna!
I can almost taste this now! Sweet with some spice from the cinnamon. Yum!
The spice from the cinnamon is so so good. Hope you give it a try!
You make this look so yummy! I want to try it now 🙂 Thanks for the sharing the recipe
Thanks, Cassie! It’s so good and the perfect holiday drink!
Love this drink idea! Sangria is delicious, ,and I almost always make my own. It’s just too sweet when I order it out! Great idea to add the ginger beer!
I agree with you on being too sweet. They almost tend to taste syrupy which I don’t like. The ginger beer is so refreshing!
this looks delicious! I’ll definitely have to try this out!
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Thanks, Dawn! Let me know what you think 🙂
I love sangria! Will have to try this!
Great! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I do like Sangaria so I will be looking to make your Festive Holiday Sangaria. I always enjoy my mixed cocktails too but feel so guilty about all the sugar in the pre-made mixers. I never thought about using honey as a syrup but it does make sense.
Great tips! Plus I have those exact glasses. Now I really have to make this.
xoxo
January
http://www.thebouncyponytail.com/
That’s so funny! I love these glasses. I only have two, but now I’m dying to get more!
K. My husband and I are on a SANGRIA making competition the last few months. Clearly this recipe is now my secret weapon. Just hand me the trophy! PINNING
One more year until I get to make these for myself. Lol! It looks so amazing!
Yum! This sounds incredibly delicious. Must try it over the holidays! xo
Let me know what you think, Ashley!
I try not to drink calories but that’s hard to avoid during the holidays. Thanks for the tips to a healthier cocktail. And the sangria looks great!
Sangria sounds so awesome right about now. I’m pretty pregnant, but if I wasn’t, I’d definitely be making this for the holidays!
Oh, bummer. It’s only a matter of time and you can always save for later! 🙂
WOW! What beautiful pictures to go with a perfectly beautiful holiday drink. I cannot wait to make this for my folks back home over the holiday.
Warm holiday cheer,
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Thank you, Stephanie! I hope your family enjoys it. Happy Holidays!
Girl – Sangria is my ultimate favorite ever. And the holiday twist sounds amazing! I’m making this for Christmas!
Yay! You can never go wrong with a good sangria recipe!
Def need to send this to my bro and his gf – they’re OBSESSED with sangria!
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Yes, yes! They would love it then 🙂 Happy Holidays, GiGi!
This looks and sounds divine! I think this might have to go down on the drinks request list for Christmas day, it’s so festive-looking!
It most absolutely should… it’s a crowd pleaser!
All of this yes! I’m not a huge drinker in general, but I LOVE sangria. Reminds me of when I studied in Sydney. We used to go out for sangria a few nights a week and you could get it by the pitcher. BEST THING EVER. I might have to make this for one of my Christmas gatherings! Pinning 🙂
Well aren’t you just a lucky girl who got to study abroad in Sydney.. how fun! I’m not either, but this Sangria is just too good to pass up 🙂
I can’t wait to see how the ginger beer goes with the wine…. it sounds so interesting. Just a hint of something different than the traditional Sangria! Thanks