Since the holidays are all about getting together with family and friends, I figured we should offer a recipe for a holiday-appropriate drink that can be made in large batches and enjoyed by large groups of people. What could be better than sangria? We normally think of sangria as a summer drink, but add in seasonal pears, citrus, and some mulling spice syrup and you’ve got the perfect drink that can be just as good in cold weather! Enjoy this Mulled Winter Sangria recipe over ice – or heat it up for a more traditional mulled wine!
The most important element of a Mulled Winter Sangria is the Mulling Spice Syrup. Luckily, most of us already have most of these ingredients at home: cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, cloves, and whole nutmeg. Let these ingredients simmer in a simple syrup made with brown sugar and your whole house will smell amazing!
Mulled Winter Sangria
1 bottle of Dry Red Wine
1 Orange, thinly sliced
1 Lemon, thinly sliced
1 Red Anjou Pear, diced
2 oz Orange Liqueur
2 oz Spiced Rum
6 oz Mulling Spice Syrup
1 cup Apple Cider
To make the mulling spice syrup, combine a cup of brown sugar and a cup of water in a sauce pan over low heat, stirring frequently. Add two cinnamon sticks, a heaping teaspoon each of allspice berries and cloves, and two whole nutmegs, all crushed with a muddler or pestle. Stir over heat until all the sugar is melted into the syrup, then remove from heat and cover the sauce pan. Let it sit for at least twenty minutes to infuse. Using cheesecloth or a fine-mesh sieve, strain out all the solids. Bottle and refrigerate.
To make the sangria, combine all of your ingredients in a pitcher and let it sit, preferably overnight in the refrigerator, to let all of the flavors combine. To serve, pour over ice and garnish with fresh pear slices.
This sangria is sweet and fruity, but has lots of warm baking spice flavors that make this a cold-weather treat. This sangria would also be pretty great heated in a pot and turned into a more traditional mulled wine. Just take the fruit out first – you can always add it back in later.
p.s. How to make a Classic Old Fashioned and a Rosé 75 recipe that is perfect for New Year’s!
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