I'm sure most of you know this about me, but for those of you who don't...wait for it...I'm a huge fan of wine!  Shocker I'm sure...  Most of the time a glass of one of my favorites is great on its own.  However, during the holidays it's nice to make cocktails that I don't usually take the time to do during the rest of the year. 

Sangria is one of those drinks that is great to make because you can make a large batch of it ahead of time, it's easy, and most people enjoy drinking it.  There are so many ways to make it, that you can really cater it to a specific holiday, or time of year, and you can use whatever fruits you have in the fridge.

So in the spirit of Thanksgiving and the fact that Christmas is right around the corner, I thought that making a cranberry sangria seemed appropriate for the time of year!   

This Spiced Cranberry and Orange Sangria is the perfect drink to serve at any holiday party that you throw or attend for the rest of the year.  It's tart from the cranberries, spicy from the cinnamon stick and oranges, and has just enough sweetness to balance it all out from the cranberry simple syrup.  Not to mention it looks super festive!  Yum.

Is it cocktail time yet?

Here's how to make it:

Ingredients:

• 1 Bottle of Red Wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon)
• 1/2 Cup Brandy
• 1 Orange (peel two strips of the rind to save, and then slice into rings)
• 1/2 Cup of Orange Juice
• 1/4 Cranberry Juice
• 1 Bag of Fresh Cranberries
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 3/4 Cup Water

Directions:

The first thing you will want to do is make your simple syrup.  Take a half of your bag of cranberries, add your water, orange rind peels, sugar, and cinnamon stick to a pot and bring to a boil.  Once your cranberries start to pop, reduce heat to simmer and cook for about another 10 minutes until thick and syrupy..that's a word right?  After your syrup is done you are going to want to strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to drain off the liquid into a separate bowl. 

Don't throw out your cranberries after you drain them, they can easily be served as your cranberry sauce, or put into muffins or pancakes..or waffles..on a leftover turkey sandwich...or ok I'm getting distracted, but you get the idea.

In a large pitcher combine your bottle of wine, brandy, drained off syrup mixture, juices, sliced oranges, and leftover cranberries and stir to combine while also mashing the oranges a little to release the juices and oils into the sangria.  You will need to refrigerate this for at least 2 hours, but overnight is even better! 

Serve in your favorite glasses and garnish with cranberries rolled in sugar and an orange slice.  Gorgeous!

Oh and by the way, if you should so happen to make this throughout the holiday season, feel free to invite me over... Cheers friend and Happy Thanksgiving!