Holiday White Wine Sangria

Note: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Dr Pepper Snapple Group for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine. | All opinions and photos are 100% mine.

Over the last weekend we celebrated a “pre-Christmas” with my husband’s side of the family. His brother’s family and parents drove over to Spokane, WA where the rest of  his family (including us stay). It was 2 days of impromptu dinners, sugar cookie decorating with the kids, board games and simply catching up with one another. The shenanigans lead up to our big family Christmas Dinner with 19 of us and ended with opening presents of the Christmas drawing we do every year. As always it was a wonderful time and we each contributed to the big meal pot luck style with everyone bringing or making something. My contribution included these Mini Santa Hat Brownies,  Peanut Coated Caramel Grapes and a small prime Rib Roast as a second meat to the Turkey my sister-in-law was making. Plus, I made this lovely signature cocktail for the evening…a Holiday White Wine Sangria

Inspired by Jerry James Stone’s recipe (from cookingstoned.tv) that my other sister-in-law Melissa sent me on pinterest…I decided to test my own version of a Holiday White Wine Sangria for my family at our family Christmas dinner, using a slightly sweet Riesling (White Wine) , Canada Dry Ginger Ale and Sparkling Apple Cider. It turned out so good that I headed straight to Safeway again and picked up everything I needed to make another pitcher and share the recipe with you! Only down side, if you can even call it that, was I ended up buying some cute Christmas tree plate chargers and the plate (pictured below) at Safeway too!

The combination of the 3 simple drinks along with the pretty holiday colors of fresh fruit (Apples and Cranberries) and Rosemary (yes, rosemary!! The infusion of rosemary really adds a unique dimension to the drink and helps cut the lingering sweetness of it) really make this drink a huge hit!  Another plus about this holiday cocktail, is not only is it super easy to to make for a crowd but, it’s very customizable to your taste. I used a Riesling White Wine (Safeway had a great selection and even carries the brand from a small local winery which is not only good but, a real nice way to support local business’). I’m not a big wine drinker…I only like white wines with a little sweetness to them, but if you like a drier white wine you can choose a dry Riesling, Chardonnay,  Sauvignon Blanc or even a Pinot Grigio. If you choose a drier not so sweet wine you may want to consider adding sugar. I didn’t add any sugar because I used a sweet Riesling and the Ginger Ale and Sparkling Cider were both sweet enough for my taste. But taste yours and add sugar if you prefer it sweeter.

Secondly, you can cut calories by using any Canada Dry Ginger Ale options like their Diet Ginger Ale or even the Canada Dry TEN (their 10 calorie ginger ale). If you want a Pink Holiday Sangria instead of a White…try using Canada Dry’s Cranberry Ginger Ale (pictured above) in place of the plain one I used in my recipe.  You can even substitute the sparkling apple cider to a sparkling grape juice if you’d like.  Anyway you make it…it’s delicious!

So here’s how you can make this festive drink for the holidays…It’s as simple as chop, pour, stir and drink! Enjoy…but drink responsibly!

Holiday White Wine Sangria

The combination of 3 simple drinks along with the pretty holiday colors of fresh fruit (Apples and Cranberries) and Rosemary really make this drink a huge hit for a crowd.

Ingredients

1. 1 Bottle White Wine ( I used a sweet Riesling)
2. 2 cups Canada Dry Ginger Ale (Regular/ Diet/ TEN/ Cranberry Ginger Ale)
3. 1 cup Sparkling Apple Cider or Sparkling Grape Juice
4. 1 Granny Smith Apple
5. 1/2 Red Apple (I used Honey Crisp)
6. 1 cup fresh/frozen cranberries
7. 1-2 sprigs of fresh Rosemary + for garnish (optional)
8. 1/3 cup fine granulated sugar

Instructions

1. - Chop up your apples in small cubes that can easily be poured and eaten while sipping on your Sangria. Add them to a large pitcher.
2. - Next, add the fresh cranberries. I used about 1 cup or a couple handfuls. I don't personally like the taste of fresh cranberries...but they add a festive holiday color to the drink which I love!
3. - Bruise one or two sprigs of rosemary using the backside of your knife blade, just so it releases more flavor and add it to the pitcher. (The infusion of rosemary really adds a unique dimension to the drink and helps cut the lingering sweetness of it)
4. - Pour in a whole bottle (750ml) of your white wine of choice. At this stage you can let your Sangria sit in the refrigerator for about an hour or more if you're making it ahead of time to chill...where it will infuse more of the fruit and rosemary flavor. Or...if you're impatient like me...you can skipping the waiting (that's why I chilled all my drinks ahead of time and bruised the rosemary to speed up its infusion) and go straight to the next step.
5. - Add the sparkling apple cider and Canada Dry ginger ale and stir everything well.
6. - For a pretty garnish you can frost sprigs of rosemary- Simply dip the rosemary springs into your sangria (I prefer this to water as the drink is stickier when it dries) and shake off the excess. Then roll the sprigs in the some granulated sugar until they are coated as you please. Simple enough right?
7. - Serve your Holiday White Wine Sangria chilled is paired best with holiday appetizers. Enjoy it with your family and friends like I did!

Notes

1. This cocktail is very customizable to your taste. If you like a drier white wine you can choose a dry Riesling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc or even a Pinot Grigio. If you choose a drier not so sweet wine you may want to consider adding sugar.
2. Secondly, you can cut calories by using any Canada Dry Ginger Ale options like their Diet Ginger Ale or even the Canda Dry TEN (their 10 calorie ginger ale). If you want a Pink Holiday Sangria instead of a White…try using Canada Dry’s Cranberry Ginger Ale (pictured above) in place of the plain one I used in my recipe. You can even substitute the sparkling apple cider to a sparkling grape juice if you’d like. Anyway you make it…it’s delicious!

By Noreen Hiskey

Adapted from PictureTheRecipe.com

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