Winter Rosé Sangria

(This post is sponsored by Day Owl Rosé! Thank you so so much for reading and supporting the brands that I love!)


I can’t think of a more festive cocktail to enjoy during the holidays! We’ve got my favorite Day Owl Rosé, apple cider (always a favorite), cranberry juice, and cranberry cinnamon simple syrup. And all the fruit garnishes! My favorite part of sangria..eating the boozy soaked fruit!

And I can’t forget about the sugared cranberries. I can’t stop adding them to everything I make. I mean they’re just SO gorgeous. They look like little snow covered cranberries and are just too festive.

Ever since I tried Day Owl rosé, I’ve been in love. It has such an amazing, smooth finish, and it has floral red fruit and vibrant orange zest notes that really pair amazingly with everything in this sangria! I even added some Grand Marnier (never a bad idea) and orange slices to compliment the notes in the wine.

It even has some cherry, strawberry, lavender, and vanilla notes, which just happen to be some of my favorite flavors of all time! Another funny thing about this rosé is that it is made with the Barbera grape, which is similar to the Nebbiolo grape, which are two of my dad’s favorites! He is the reason I learned to love good wine.

If you want to make this ahead of time for guests, you totally can. Sangria gets even better the longer it sits. I’d make it anywhere from 2-4 hours ahead of time and keep it in the fridge to chill and for the flavors to marry. If you can wait that long!

I love serving this over crushed ice, but that’s totally optional. It just makes it extra fun to garnish and for the sugared cranberries to sit on top! And using the cinnamon stick as a stirrer is just too fun.

Can you tell I’m kind of obsessed with this season and everything festive?

My favorite part of this sangria might just be the cranberry cinnamon simple syrup. It’s what gives this drink its vibrant color and its cinnamon-y flavor. I’d make a double batch if I were you and use it for more cocktails and/or to put over ice cream…

I love using Grand Marnier in this sangria because it is my orange liquor of choice for margaritas and baking, but you could totally use Cointreau or Triple Sec or whatever you have. The most important part is that you have the rosé and all of our lovely garnishes. And that simple syrup!

The only way I want to spend the holidays!

Print

Winter Rosé Sangria with Cranberries, Apple Cider, and Orange

This wintery rosé sangria is filled with apple cider, cranberry juice, cranberry cinnamon simple syrup, orange liquor, apples, oranges, and cinnamon sticks!

Course Drinks

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

For the sangria

• 1 bottle rosé (I used Day Owl Rosé)
• 2 cups apple cider
• 1 cup cranberry juice (the unsweetened kind, not cranberry juice cocktail)
• 1/3 cup Grand Marnier
• the cranberry cinnamon simple syrup
• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 1 honeycrisp apple, thinly sliced, plus extra for garnish
• 1 orange, sliced, plus extra for garnish
• 3 cinnamon sticks, plus extra for garnish

For the cranberry cinnamon simple syrup

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• 2 cinnamon sticks

For the sugared cranberries

• 1 (12 ounce) bag fresh cranberries
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided

Instructions

1. Make the cranberry cinnamon simple syrup. Bring water, sugar, cranberries, and cinnamon sticks to a boil. Boil for 3-4 minutes or until cranberries start to burst and the mixture is a deep red color. Strain into a bowl with a fine mesh strainer and set aside to cool. Discard the cranberries and cinnamon sticks.

2. Make the sangria. In a large pitcher, combine the rosé, apple cider, cranberry juice, Grand Marnier, cooled cranberry cinnamon simple syrup, fresh cranberries, apple slices, orange slices, and cinnamon sticks. Chill in the fridge for 2-4 hours or until ready to serve.

3. To make the sugared cranberries, bring water and ½ cup of the sugar to a boil. Once boiling, stir for thirty seconds until dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the cranberries. Stir until completely coated, then transfer to a wire rack to dry. Let dry for an hour, then roll in the remaining sugar, working in batches. Transfer back to the rack, and let dry for an additional hour. Store in a cool, dry place.

4. Once ready to serve, pour sangria into glasses filled with crushed ice. Garnish with extra apple and orange slices, a handful of sugared cranberries, and a cinnamon stick!

Recipe Notes

*add 2 hours of extra prep time for sugared cranberries!