Author Notes
This sangria evolved from a Carlo Rossi inspired recipe a dear friend shared with me a few months ago. We added the cardamom and cranberry as well as decreased the sugar and eliminated the seltzer. My recipe combines a fruity red wine spiced with the holiday flavor of cloves, the sweet spiciness of cinnamon and the pine-minty flavor of cardamom, while a dash of sugar, cranberry and orange juice take off the bitter edge. This is a incredibly drinkable and affordable Christmas Eve punch (or anytime), especially since a jug of Carlo Rossi, Paisano, my fruity red of choice, is approximately five 750 ml. bottles of wine and costs less than $20. P.S. I don't work for Carlo, I'm just a devoted fan! —gabrielaskitchen
Ingredients
- spiced wine base
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1 750ml. bottle
smooth, fruity red wine (like Carlo Rossi Paisano, if you purchased a jug measure a scant 3 1/4 cups)
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1 teaspoon
whole cloves
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5
cinnamon sticks
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5
green cardamom pods
- juice
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1 1/2 cups
quality orange juice (not from concentrate)
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1 1/2 cups
quality cranberry juice
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1 cup
strong pomegranate or berry infused black tea (2 tea bags in 1 cup water)
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2 tablespoons
sugar
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1
small clementine or tangerine (optional)
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1
pomegranate (optional)
Directions
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Between 48 and 24 hours before serving the Sangria, open the bottle of wine and add cloves, cinnamon and cardamom pods. Close the bottle. *tip: slightly crush the cardamom pods so the seeds inside are exposed but contained. The pod should be cracked but still intact.
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Once the wine has marinated for at least 24 hours but no more than 48 hours (you want to drink wine not vinegar!) and approximately two hours before serving strain the spices from the wine. Save the cinnamon sticks for garnish, discard the cloves and cardamom.
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Add the orange juice, cranberry juice, prepared tea and sugar. *tip: dissolve sugar in hot tea to uniformly and smoothly sweeten the Sangria.
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(Optional) Serve in a punch bowl garnished with floating slices of tangerines or clementines, pomegranate seeds and cinnamon sticks. Or have preserved in wine glasses with one floating slice of citrus, a cinnamon stick and some pomegranate seeds. *tip: pomegranate are easily deseeded in a large bowl filled with water. Simply immerse the open pomegranate as you remove the seeds.
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