This red winter sangria with pears & pomegranate arils is spiced, cozy, and easy to sip! With apples, blood oranges, brandy, and warm cinnamon, it has all of the best flavors of the season. Make this pitcher cocktail for parties, holidays, and girls’ night in!

Three glasses and a pitcher of red winter sangria with pears and pomegranate arils on a marble tray next to a glass of pomegranates, a plate of pears, a gold wreath, and gold candlesticks.

This past weekend, I got a tattoo with my grandma (she’s the coolest) and saw The Nutcracker with my mom, grandma, cousins, and aunts (two of my aunts even made the costumes this year!). Of course, we also sipped plenty of sangria while we snacked on potato chips and played cards way too late into the night.

Along with Norwegian gløgg and holiday mai tais, sangria is one of my go-to batch drinks for get-togethers around the holidays! You honestly can’t go wrong with an easy-drinking cocktail. Especially one with the bonus of a booze-soaked fruit snack.

This winter version is one of my favorites because it’s just as refreshing as summer sangrias but has seasonal fruit and cinnamon for a little festive warmth. Let’s mix some up and celebrate the season, shall we?

A lovely little winter cocktail

I’ve made this sangria dozens of times for parties and get-togethers and it’s always a huge hit! It’s based on the classic Spanish sangria that my family has been making for as long as I can remember, but it has a festive twist thanks to seasonal fruit and cinnamon.

  • This cocktail takes 15 minutes to whip up in a pitcher.
  • It’s easy to double or triple for a party or get-together.
  • The cocktail has all of the best seasonal fruit!
  • Serve it at holidays, dinner parties, girls’ nights, or happy hour at home.

Ingredients you’ll need

Glasses of brandy, orange liqueur, and simple syrup on a beige marble counter next to a bottle of red wine and white bowls of apples, pears, blood oranges, and pomegranate arils.
  • Apples – pick something crisp, sweet, and slightly tart like Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Gala.
  • Pears – any green pear like Bartlett or D’Anjou will taste great in this sangria.
  • Oranges – if they’re in season, blood orange sangria is so delicious! If not, cara cara or navel oranges are good too.
  • Pomegranates – the arils will add a sweet, tart, and syrupy flavor to the drink.
  • Cinnamon stick – for a little festive spice, we’ll add a whole cinnamon stick.
  • Simple syrup – I like simple syrup instead of sugar, because it makes for a smoother cocktail. You can use store-bought but homemade is so easy and affordable!
  • Orange liqueur – any orange liqueur like Triple Sec, Cointreau, or Curacao will add a hint of citrus flavor.
  • Brandy – a splash of brandy adds depth to the sangria and gives it an aromatic note.
  • Apple juice – look for 100% fresh-pressed apple juice in the refrigerated juice aisle. You don’t want to use the shelf-stable apple juice because it’s usually flavorless and too sweet.
  • Red wine – pick an affordable dry red wine, preferably from Spain. I like Tempranillo, Grenache, or Rioja. If you can’t find Spanish wine, any fruity red wine will do. Pinot Noir, Malbec, or a dry red blend are all great options!

Mix up this sangria

Three steps to making a wine cocktail. In photo 1, a pitcher is filled with fruit on a beige counter next to a bottle of wine and white and brown bowls. In photo 2, a cinnamon stick is in the pitcher. In photo 3, the pitcher has brandy, orange liqueur, and apple juice.
  1. First, add the sliced apples, pears, blood oranges, and pomegranate arils to a pitcher.
  2. Then, add a cinnamon stick to the fruit mixture.
  3. Pour simple syrup, orange liqueur, brandy, and apple juice into the pitcher.
Two steps to making red winter sangria with pears and pomegranate. In photo 1, a bottle of red wine is being poured into a pitcher on a beige counter next to brown bowls. In photo 2, a wood spoon is stirring the sangria.
  1. Pour a bottle of red wine into the pitcher.
  2. Use a wood spoon to mix the sangria together.
  3. Then, cover the pitcher and refrigerate the sangria for at least 2 hours. Serve over ice and enjoy!

This cocktail needs to sit for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight. The flavors need time to meld together. If you drink the sangria right away, it will taste a bit flat.

Make-ahead drink

Since this cocktail needs to sit for several hours, it’s the perfect make-ahead cocktail! Just mix up the sangria 1 day before serving. Cover the pitcher and keep it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to sip and serve.

Just don’t refrigerate this cocktail for more than 2 days. If the sangria sits too long, the fruit will become mealy and the sangria will turn bitter.

A hand pouring a pitcher of red winter sangria into a glass on a gold marble tray next to glasses of sangria, a glass bowl of pomegranate arils, a gold wreath, and a glass plate of pears with a tan marble background.

Making the best sangria

  • Don’t worry about buying fancy wine since it’ll be mixed with juice and fruit. Save your good bottles for drinking on their own and choose a decent, but affordable, red wine instead.
  • If you’re serving a crowd, feel free to double or triple the recipe. It’s so pretty in a punch bowl if your pitcher isn’t large enough!
  • For a little fizz, try adding a splash of club soda or ginger beer. It’s not traditional by any means but it dilutes the cocktail just a bit and adds a little sparkle.

Chilling for a party

To keep this drink cold for a party, you can always add ice to the pitcher. But it’s definitely not my favorite because it’ll water down the sangria.

Instead, I recommend freezing some extra fruit (apples, pears, oranges, and pomegranate arils) and adding it to the chilled sangria right before serving. Don’t forget to pour the sangria over ice!

Three glasses and a pitcher of red winter sangria on a marble tray next to a glass bowl of pomegranate arils, gold wreath, and rosemary sprigs.

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5 from 1 vote

Winter Sangria with Pears and Pomegranate

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
This red winter sangria has apples, pears, blood oranges, pomegranate arils, brandy, and warm cinnamon! The sangria is spiced, cozy, and absolutely delicious. It's a make-ahead pitcher drink that's perfect for parties, holidays, and girls' night in!
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Ingredients

  • 1 Honeycrisp apple, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1 Bartlett pear, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1 blood orange, de-seeded & thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup pomegranate arils (50 grams)
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/4 cup simple syrup (60 milliliters)
  • 1/3 cup orange liqueur, like Triple Sec or Cointreau (80 milliliters)
  • 1/3 cup brandy (80 milliliters)
  • 1 cup fresh-pressed apple juice (240 milliliters)
  • 1 bottle of fruity red wine (750 milliliters)
  • Rosemary sprigs, for garnish

Equipment

  • Pitcher
  • Wood or cocktail spoon
  • Wine glasses

Instructions 

  • In a pitcher, combine the apple slices, pear slices, blood orange slices, and pomegranate arils. Add the cinnamon stick.
  • Pour the simple syrup, orange liqueur, brandy, and apple juice over the fruit. Add the red wine. Give it a good stir. Then, cover the pitcher and refrigerate the sangria for at least two hours, preferably overnight.
  • Serve the sangria in wine glasses chilled or over ice. Gently roll a small sprig of rosemary in-between your hands to release the oils. Garnish the sangria with the rosemary. Enjoy!

Notes

I don’t recommend refrigerating this cocktail for more than 2 days. If the sangria sits too long, the fruit will become mealy and the sangria will turn bitter.
Don’t worry about buying fancy wine since it’ll be mixed with juice and fruit. Save your good bottles for drinking on their own and choose a decent, but affordable, red wine instead.
If you’re serving a crowd, feel free to double or triple the recipe. It’s so pretty in a punch bowl if your pitcher isn’t large enough!
For a little fizz, try adding a splash of club soda or ginger beer. It’s not traditional by any means but it dilutes the cocktail just a bit and adds a little sparkle.
Feel free to dice the fruit instead of slicing. It doesn’t make a difference in terms of taste, of course, so it just depends on which style you like better!
Cuisine: American
Course: Drinks
Author: Sara Lynn Hunt Broka
Serving: 1glass, Calories: 151kcal, Carbohydrates: 21.6g, Protein: 0.4g, Fat: 0.2g, Saturated Fat: 0.1g, Sodium: 6mg, Potassium: 207mg, Fiber: 2.5g, Sugar: 16.7g, Calcium: 21mg, Iron: 2mg
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Originally posted on December 20, 2019.