Hands-on time 5 minutes. Cooking time: 20 mins (unless you already have the mulled wine prepared), Cooling time: 2 hours plus 5 minutes infusing.
Serves 5
Ingredients
- 1 bottle of red wine (750ml) or 1 litre grape/cranberry/cherry juice (for non-alcholic alternative)
- ¼ cup brandy
- 1 cup apple cider
- 2 green apples – 1 for mulled wine, 1 for fresh garnish
- 2 lemons – 1 for mulled wine, 1 for fresh garnish
- limes – 1 for mulled wine, 1 for fresh garnish
- orange
- 1 cup
- blackberries – 1/2 cup for mulled wine and the rest for fresh garnish
- cup cranberries – 1/2 cup for mulled wine and ½ cup for fresh garnish
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
- cup honey (or to taste)
- 1 Steep spice bag
- Thyme – optional for garnish
Method
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In a pot, pour 1 bottle of red wine, 1 cup apple cider and ¼ cup of honey. Add steep spice bag. Place a lid on top and simmer on very low heat for 20 minutes. Never allow it to boil.
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While the wine simmers with the cider, spices and honey, slice 1 green apple, 1 orange, 1 lemon and 1 lime.
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When finished, pour mulled wine into a jug or container with sliced fruit, 1/2 cup of blackberries and 1/2 cup cranberries. Add 1/4 cup of brandy, stir gently and refrigerate for 2-3 hours until cold.
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For garnish, thinly slice 1 lemon, 1 lime, and 1 green apple. Add ice to glasses and pour sangria, adding some of the drunken fruit, and leaving some room for fresh fruit. Add blackberries, pomegranate seeds, cranberries, and sliced fruit with optional star anise and thyme garnish.
Notes
Save some un-drunken fruit for garnish.
The fruit you add to the wine while it’s cooling in the fridge will be stained by the wine, which is totally fine, but to make a much prettier, colorful garnish, set some fresh fruit aside and add it to the drunken-fruit in the glasses when ready to serve. If adding green apple to your garnish, make sure to add some lemon juice to a bowl and swish the cut apples around to prevent them from browning.
Make this sangria no more than 12 hours before the party.
This sangria will be perfect after 3 hours, but you can allow it to sit over night. You don’t want it cool in the refrigerator for more than 12 hours, however, or flavors of cinnamon may become too strong, and the fruit may become mushy.