Winter White Sangria
This Winter White Sangria is a refreshing and festive drink that’s perfect for entertaining this holiday season. Like other sangria recipes, this white winter punch contains just the right amount of winter fruit, plus crisp white wine, a touch of cranberry juice, spiced apple cider, citrus, cinnamon, and some fizzy ginger beer for added sparkle.
We highly recommend making a pitcher of this for your next gathering, whether it’s over the winter holidays or whenever you feel a craving for a crisp drink with warm flavors.
History of Sangria
Sangria has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, a region most associated with Spain. About 2,000 years ago, Romans traveled through the Iberian Peninsula, planting vineyards as they went. Water was not safe to drink at that time, so they added alcohol, spices, and herbs to kill off bacteria and mask the bad flavors of the table wine.
It is believed that Spain introduced a version of sangria to the Americas in the 1800s. Official records suggest that the US’s introduction to the drink was at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Since that time, sangria has become more and more popular, showing up on many bar menus and served at parties.
Our Winter White Sangria
Traditional sangria usually has some variation of the following:
- Red wine
- Orange juice
- Fresh fruit, like apples and oranges
- Brandy, rum, or another liquor
- Sweetener, such as simple syrup
Our winter sangria is a little different.
- For starters, it has white wine instead of red. White wine gives this boozy punch a crisp flavor that’s super refreshing.
- We also add spices (cinnamon sticks and star anise) to this sangria to give it warm, winter vibes, and fresh apples, oranges, cranberries, and lemons for fruity undertones.
- The sangria comes together with a little cranberry juice, spiced apple cider, and Cointreau (or another orange-flavored liqueur).
- We top this Winter White Sangria with non-alcoholic ginger beer for added sparkle.
Sounds pretty good, right?
How to Make this Sangria
This sangria is incredibly easy to make and you can put it all together in a matter of minutes.
- Add all of the fruit to the bottom of a juice pitcher.
- Add the cranberry juice, apple cider, white wine, and Cointreau to the pitcher.
- Top with the ginger beer, cinnamon sticks, and star anise and gently stir.
- Pour the sangria into glasses and garnish each with an orange slice and some apple slices. Optional: garnish with another cinnamon stick and more star anise.
Winter White Sangria
Ingredients
- ½ orange, sliced
- ½ lemon, sliced
- ½ green apple, cored & sliced
- Handful of fresh cranberries
- ¼ cup cranberry juice, chilled
- 1 cup spiced apple cider, non-alcoholic, chilled
- ½ cup Cointreau
- 1 bottle Sauvignon Blanc or other white wine, chilled
- 12 oz can ginger beer, non-alcoholic, chilled
- 3-4 cinnamon sticks, plus more for glasses, if desired
- 3-5 star anise pods, plus more for glasses, if desired
Instructions
- Add all of the fruit to the bottom of a juice pitcher.½ orange, ½ lemon, ½ green apple, Handful of fresh cranberries
- Add the cranberry juice, apple cider, white wine, and cointreau to the pitcher.¼ cup cranberry juice, 1 cup spiced apple cider, 1 bottle Sauvignon Blanc or other white wine, ½ cup Cointreau
- Top with ginger beer, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and stir.12 oz can ginger beer, 3-4 cinnamon sticks, 3-5 star anise pods
- Pour into glasses and garnish each with an orange slice, some apple slices, another cinnamon stick, and more star anise.
