Your favorite summer drink just transitioned to winter! This Tropical Cranberry Sangria is made with Mija Sangria, orange juice, and fresh cranberry juice. It will have you serving winter sangria all holiday season long.
Thank you to Mija Sangria for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are 100% my own and I really appreciate you supporting We are not Martha!
It's only December 11 and I already miss summer so, so much. I don't even have much business complaining since Boston weather hasn't been too bad aside from a few chilly days and a tiny bit of snow.
Also, wintry weather before Christmas is so much more bearable than wintry weather after the holidays. Check in with me in February and I'm sure I'll be going absolutely crazy. But for now, at least, I have the perfect solution to my winter woes.
Sangria. Yes! Sangria doesn't have to be just a summer drink... I'm putting a little twist on it and drinking it all winter long.
I'm super excited to be working with Mija Sangria again this year, especially during the holiday season. Last summer, I had so much fun when I partnered with them for a sangria bar I made with my family on our summer vacation.
But I recently realized that sangria should not be relegated to the summer months. After all, you wouldn't consider wine a summer drink... And there are so many fun twists you can put on sangria that turn it into the perfect winter cocktail!
Mija Sangria
First of all, let me tell you a little about Mija. It's a ready-to-drink sangria that's made without any artificial additives or preservatives (and is also gluten-free).
Mija comes in both red and white varieties, both of which are packed with super fruits- the red with pomegranate, açai and blood orange and the white with guava, orange, lime, and lychee.
It's perfect for when you're craving sangria, but don't feel like doing any mixing; Mija is always ready for you to just start sipping!
I also love that fact that at 9.5% ABV, it’s one of the highest-proof sangrias you’ll find... No weak drinks here! OK, I'm also a fan of the pretty bottle.
Tropical Cranberry Sangria Recipe
You can make this sangria cocktail with either the red or white Mija, but I opted for white since I wanted a tropical taste and had a feeling mixing the white sangria mixed with the cranberry juice would look pretty.
I was right and was thrilled with the results of the cranberry sangria- it's the perfect holiday party cocktail, but also appropriate for any solo winter evening on the couch.
If you know me, you probably know how much I love making homemade cranberry juice in the winter. It's so easy and just makes me so happy. I like that I can drink it either hot or cold, I can control the amount of sugar that goes in, and I can adjust the spices based on my mood.
Did I mention it's easy? All you do is bring cranberries, water, and spices to a boil and let simmer. You can add sugar in if you want, but for this cranberry sangria cocktail, I decided not to add any extra sugar to the cranberry juice since Mija Sangria is already a bit sweet.
Note that your kitchen will smell delightful when you're making the cranberry juice. It's perfect to make before you have guests coming over during the holidays.
You'll need to let the cranberry juice cool fully, but once it's cooled, you're ready to mix your cocktail!
Simply pour the Mija Sangria into an ice-filled pitcher or glass. Add the freshly squeezed orange juice and cranberry juice, and top off with some orange slices and cranberries for garnish.
And get ALL the holiday feels. Which you would never expect from sangria, right??
I absolutely love the way the drink looks layered, but after admiring the festive colors for a bit, I recommend stirring the cocktail so the Mija and cranberry juice blend together into a delicious tropical cranberry sangria.
I also recommend making sugared cranberries at least 12 times before Christmas just because you can. And it's always a good idea to have sugared cranberries around the house.
But plain cranberries also make a beautiful garnish for this holiday cocktail.
I'm in love with the overall taste of this drink and how the sweet tropical flavors of the sangria mix with the tart cranberry juice.
Even though I often crave warm drinks in the winter, cranberry sangria is the kind of chilled cocktail that actually feels warming, thanks to the spices and holiday appeal.
While I'm not at all opposed to drinking Mija Sangria as is during the winter season, I'm even more excited about the opportunity to give it a seasonal kick.
I also really love the idea of having a winter sangria bar at a holiday party. In addition to serving both red and white Mija Sangria, you can have pitchers of different seasonal juices, like cranberry juice and apple cider and fun garnishes like cranberries, cinnamon sticks, orange and apple slices, and more.
And obviously make this tropical cranberry sangria.
Head to Mija Sangria's website to learn more and to see where Mija is available near you. And then whip up this holiday cocktail and enjoy sangria all winter long!
Do you drink sangria in the winter?
If you're looking for more holiday cocktail recipes, be sure to check out my Holiday Spiced Honeycrisp Apple Cocktail and my Cranberry Pomegranate Sparkler. I also can't wait to make this Hot Buttered Rum from The Blond Cook!
📖 Recipe
Tropical Cranberry Sangria
Ingredients
- 1 bottle White Mija Sangria (you can use red if you choose)
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from about 1 medium orange)
- 1 ½ cup homemade cranberry juice (recipe below- see notes for using store-bought)
Homemade Cranberry Juice
- 4 cups water
- 12 oz. (1 bag) fresh cranberries
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ teaspoon anise seed (or 2 star anise)
- 5 whole cloves
Instructions
- Pour bottle of Mija Sangria in a pitcher. Stir in orange juice. Pour cranberry juice into pitcher. Pour cocktail into ice-filled pitchers. Alternatively, you can divide Mija Sangria between 6 ice-filled glasses. Stir about ½ Tbsp. orange juice into each glass and top off with 2 oz. cranberry juice.
- Garnish cocktails with orange slices and fresh cranberries (sugared if desired).
Homemade Cranberry Juice
- Put water and cranberries in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower mixture to a simmer, add in spices. Let cook for 20-25 minutes.
- Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer to extract liquid into a large bowl. Dispose of cranberry mash or save for another use. Let cranberry juice cool completely before mixing into cocktail.
Notes
- You will have extra cranberry juice with the homemade cranberry juice recipe. You can half the recipe or keep it in the fridge and drink it cold or warmed throughout the holiday season. It's delicious!
- If you want a sweeter drink, you can add ⅓ cup sugar to the cranberry juice after you strain it. Simply add it back to the saucepan over low heat and stir in sugar until dissolved.
- If you prefer using store-bought cranberry juice, you can, but you'll miss out on some of the additional spices added in the making process. When mixing cocktail, add cinnamon sticks, star anise, and cloves to the pitcher and let sit in the fridge for a couple hours. Be sure to remove before serving.
Elaine Benoit says
How delicious and beautiful! I love the flavors you have going on here! Can't go wrong with cranberry and wine!
Kathi says
The colors! What a beautiful cocktail to serve at brunch and who knew you could make your own cranberry juice? Pinned!
Allison Leigh says
Yum! This looks divine! I know what I'm going to serve at Christmas brunch! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
ali randall says
This looks like the ideal holiday cocktail to celebrate Christmas and New Years. I will be picking up a bag of cranberries and looking for the sangria next time I go to the grocery.
Luci says
This looks perfect for the holidays and totally refreshing. I need to make this.