Toni's Fall Sangria
Red wine and Cognac with fresh ginger syrup, apples, oranges and warm allspice. Lightly sweet rather than sugary, and better the longer it sits.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
Ginger syrup (makes about 1 1/4 cups)
- 1 cup fresh ginger thinly sliced, about 4 ounces
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
Sangria
- 1 bottle red wine 750 ml, such as Merlot or Cabernet
- 1 cup orange juice
- 3 tablespoons ginger syrup from above
- 1 to 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar to taste
- 1/4 cup Cognac
- 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
- 1 crisp red apple such as Honeycrisp, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 orange thinly sliced
- 6 whole allspice berries
Instructions
- Make the ginger syrup. Warm the water and sugar in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the sliced ginger, partially cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Take it off the heat, cover and steep 20 to 30 minutes, then strain into a clean jar and chill. You will have more than this recipe needs, which is the point if you are also making the mules.
- Mix the base. In a large pitcher, combine the wine, orange juice, ginger syrup, Cognac, Grand Marnier and 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then taste and add the second tablespoon only if it needs it.
- Add the fruit and spice. Drop in the apple cubes, orange slices and allspice berries, then stir once to settle everything.
- Chill. Refrigerate at least 6 hours, or overnight. Serve it cold over ice, spooning some of the soaked fruit into each glass.
Notes
Save 3/4 cup of the finished sangria (the liquid only) if you are making the Sangria Cranberry Sauce. Pull it before you serve, or it disappears.
The ginger syrup makes extra on purpose. It is the same syrup used in the Iced Cranberry Mules, so one batch covers both drinks. It keeps about 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Give it the full 6 hours. The fruit and allspice need time, and sangria served too soon just tastes like cold wine.
Use a wine you would drink on its own. Nothing here hides a bad bottle.
Nutrition
Calories: 215kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 200mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg