One of my favorite things about the holidays is the festivities with your friends and family. There's something magical in the air when you're surrounded by sparkling lights, awful holiday sweaters and if you're lucky, a little snow to set the mood.
I find myself never cooking much in December, I switch in between salads and chocolate chip cookies -- I hear they cancel each other out. I spend most of the month baking and coming up with excuses to make cocktails. If you missed our Spicy Hot Chocolate, be sure to check it out. Add a little rum and top it with some marshmallows and you've got a warm cup of festive cheer in a mug!
I traveled to Spain this year and while I'm not a huge fan of red wine, I fell head over heels for their Sangria. It was just the right amount of fruity and fizzy. For this Holiday Sangria, I added some pomegranate and honeycrisp apples to jazz up the bowl -- feel free to add any kind of fresh fruit that might be readily available at the store.
HOLIDAY SANGRIA
(makes about 8-10 cups)
- A bottle of red wine (~750 ml)*
- 2 liters of ginger ale
- 3 cups pineapple juice
- 2 cups of fresh pomegranate seeds
- 1 honey crispy apple, thinly sliced
- 1 orange, thinly sliced
- a couple pinches of cinnamon
** any type of fruity red wine works here like a Syrah or Pinot Noir
In a large punch bowl, combine wine, ginger ale and pineapple juice. When ready to serve, add ice cubes and garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds, apple slices, orange slices and a couple pinches of cinnamon. Taste and adjust accordingly. If you need a sweeter sangria, feel free to add 1/2 cup of simple syrup.
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