By dressing up classic Spanish sangría with Spiced Simple Syrup and tart cranberries, Chef Jose Garces of Philadelphia has created an ideal cocktail for a winter holiday celebration. It’s best to start the day before you plan to serve the sangría, by macerating fresh cranberries and diced Granny Smith apples in the simple syrup. Next day, add a bottle of Tempranillo rosé, and a half cup each of port wine, Cointreau, and cranberry juice. Chill, and let the party begin.

Ingredient note: Tempranillo rosé has a fruity profile with a hint of herbaceous complexity. A fruitier Grenache rosé, from Spain’s Rioja region, also works beautifully.

Game plan: Try using any leftover Granny Smith apples in our classic apple crisp for a killer dessert pairing.

For more thirst-quenching inspiration, check out our Ruby Sangría, Mom’s Sangría, and White Peach Sangría recipes.

  • Yield: 2 1/2 quarts
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 5 mins, plus 4 hrs chilling time 
  • Active: 5 mins 

Ingredients (9)

For the fruit:

  • 2 cups fresh cranberries
  • 2 Granny Smith apples, large dice
  • 1/2 cup Spiced Simple Syrup (recipe link in intro)
  • 3/4 cup Cointreau
  • 1/2 cup ruby port wine

For the sangría:

  • 1 (750-milliliter) bottle Tempranillo rosé
  • 1/2 cup port wine (a good-quality port blend, such as W. & J. Graham’s Six Grapes Reserve Port, is ideal)
  • 1/2 cup Cointreau
  • 1/2 cup cranberry juice

Instructions

To macerate the fruit:

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a 3-quart container with a tightfitting lid.
  2. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

To assemble the sangría:

  1. Add all of the ingredients to the chilled fruit mixture and stir to combine.
  2. Refrigerate until well chilled; serve as is or over ice.