White Christmas Sangria

This is a bright, refreshing sangria and the addition of green apples, cranberries and rosemary make it perfect for the holidays.

In today’s world, it is all the rage to have a theme cocktail or punch at a party, wedding, or event. This is where sangria comes to the rescue. There are no rules to sangrias. You can mix and add whatever you choose. Usually a sangria has wine and some addition of a fruit and or fruit juice and a sparkling element.

Red or white is always the first choice to be made and when making sangria for a crowd, more people will go for the white sangria. And that is because white wine drinkers usually don't stray off course. Red wine drinkers will drink red or white. You will find even those that do not like wine will like white sangria.

Generally, sangrias will have less alcohol content than a traditional cocktail, unless you add vodka or brandy to the sangria, and yes, that is a thing. I like the clean wine taste of sangria and can appreciate the lower alcohol content, so I opt out of the high powered kick of liquor.

The wine- I opt for something I would drink, an inexpensive brand, even the big bottles (1.5L) will work. It is great time to use some of the box wine options available. Obviously this recipe is for a white sangria so I would use a chardonnay or pinot grigio. If you like things a little more sweeter, you could use a riesling or even a moscato. Again, there are no rules!

The fruit- This recipe calls for diced green apples and cranberries. The red and green combo is perfect for the Christmas season. You could add limes, oranges, grapes, etc.

The sparkling- You could do sparkling white grape juice or sparkling apple cider. In a pinch, I have dumped in ginger ale.

Here is the great think about sangria, if you have some leftover wines from a dinner or a party, dump them all in and add fruit and a sparkling element. It is a great way to stretch the wine and use leftovers.

This wine features fresh rosemary and I encourage you not to skip this step. It does make a difference and gives just a hint of the rosemary essence. If you have fresh rosemary in your yard, consider “frosting” some to use as a garnish. Simple dip the rosemary into water and dip into sugar. Sit on a paper towel to dry.

I like to mix and store the sangria in a 2 quart container with a lid. I found several this week at the Dollar Tree and they are absolutely perfect. I whipped up 8 quarts for a party Wednesday night and ran out mid way through the party. I ended up pouring some white wine and ginger ale over the cranberries, apples and rosemary that were left in the containers and I am not sure anyone was the wiser. Improvising is easy with sangria.

Sangria is beautiful in a glass pitcher or even a punch bowl. For a downhome vibe, or outdoor gathering, I have put the sangria in individual small glass mason jars, screwed on the lid and place on ice in a galvanized tub or cooler. For a fancier gathering, I would serve in a wine glass, stemmed or stemless would work.

If you feel like your sangria needs more sweetness, add sugar, splenda, agave, etc.