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Winter Spice Sangria

Servings 8 servings
Prep Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

For the spiced syrup:

  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 star anise pods
  • ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
  • ½ teaspoon whole cloves
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1-inch slice of fresh ginger

For the sangria:

  • 1-750 ml bottle dry red wine such as Chianti, Grenache or Syrah
  • ½ cup fresh orange juice
  • ½ cup light rum
  • ¼ cup brandy
  • ¼ cup Cointreau or Triple Sec
  • 2 navel oranges, peeled, halved, seeded and thinly sliced
  • 1 lime, peeled, halved, seeded and thinly sliced
  • 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1 Bartlett pear, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1 ½ cups club soda
  • Ice cubes, for serving

Instructions

To make the syrup:

  1. In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, star anise, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon sticks and ginger. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

  2. Boil until reduced by half and thickened, about 15 minutes. Let the spice syrup cool, then strain into a glass jar. Note: The spice syrup can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

To make the sangria:

  1. Pour the red wine into a 3-quart pitcher. Stir in the orange juice, rum, brandy, Cointreau and ¼ cup of the spice syrup.

  2. Taste and add more syrup if you prefer a sweeter sangria.

  3. Add the sliced oranges, lime, apple and pear, and refrigerate overnight. Note: The sangria can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

  4. Stir in the club soda before serving. Serve the sangria in tall glasses over ice. Garnish with the sliced fruit.