Winter Sangria

This is one of the BEST sangria recipes I’ve ever tried and definitely has a ‘winter’ sorta feel to it being it’s made with red wine and red juices.  It was a hit at Thanksgiving Dinner!  I found the recipe on Pinterest and since I changed it, I am not naming the source … the original recipe called for 1 bottle of Red Zinfandel but it tasted like drinking a fruit punch instead of an alcohol based Sangria so I added a second bottle … the original recipe also called for pomegranate seeds and since they are chewy and probably were only in the recipe for looks, I omitted them.  This is delicious and I CANNOT wait to make it again!!! 

This recipe makes a lot so be prepared to either serve it from a Punch Bowl or several Pitchers.  I used an empty Patron bottle and another empty bottle, for transporting.  Though its very pretty in a Patron bottle, its difficult to remove the fruit so I would recommend using a pitcher.

Winter Sangria

2 (750 mil) bottles Red Zinfandel

4 cups Cranberry Juice

2 cups POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice

1 cup Orange Juice

¾ cup Simple Syrup

1 Apple, unpeeled, cored, sliced thin

1 Orange, cut in half and sliced thin

1 Lemon, cut in half and sliced thin

½ cup Fresh Cranberries

San Pellegrino Sparkling Water

Combine all ingredients in a large container.  I used an extra large mixing bowl or you could use a punch bowl (for making and serving).  Chill 4 hours or overnight.  To serve, pour into glasses, extracting some of the fruit into the glass, and top off with a splash or two of Pellegrino.