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 these tropical-inspired 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.

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 this winter version has seasonal fruit and cinnamon for a little festive warmth.

Spanish red wine

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.

For this recipe, you’ll want to pick an affordable dry red wine, preferably from Spain. I like Tempranillo, Grenache, or Rioja. And 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 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.
First, add the sliced apples, pears, blood oranges, pomegranate arils, & cinnamon stick to a pitcher. 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.
Top with red wine and stir everything together super well. 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.

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.

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.

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
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Chilling Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 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.
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.