Holiday Cocktail: Sugarplum Sangria

Who says that sangria is just for the summer months?  I say the holidays are a perfect time for an amplified wine cocktail, so I created this delicious Sugarplum Sangria recipe.  The drink is festive and pretty, but not too strong, so you can sip throughout the evening without waking up with something worse than visions of sugarplums dancing around your head.

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Today I am inviting you to a virtual Holiday Cocktail Party hosted by several fabulous bloggers!  At the bottom of the post, you will find links to all of their cocktail creations and the recipes behind them.  Make sure to pin them right away, so your holiday party can be a smash!

I used Arbor Mist Blackberry Merlot, Welch’s Sparkling Blueberry Grape juice, and Wild Cherry Brandy for this sangria recipe.    If you wanted to make a non-alcoholic version, you could substitute cranberry-grape juice for the wine and omit the brandy.

Pour all the ingredients into a large pitcher and give it a gentle stir.  The sparkling juice gives the cocktail a nice fizz that is pretty and festive in the pitcher and the glass!

If you want to make the pitcher look even more celebratory, you could slice up some fresh plums and add them and some cranberries to the sangria.  The cranberries especially will dance around in the bubbles!  You will just have to strain the sangria before you pour it into glasses.

To rim your martini glasses in sugar, run a wedge of lime around their edges.  Pour some sugar into a shallow bowl that is wider than the diameter of your glasses.  Dip the rims of the glasses into the sugar and shake off the excess.

Have a tray of these pretty drinks ready to serve at your holiday party, and your guests will be impressed with your mixology skills.  Nobody needs to know how incredibly easy they were to make!

SUGARPLUM SANGRIA

(makes one pitcher)

• 1.5 L bottle of Arbor Mist Blackberry Merlot
• 1.5 L bottle of Welch’s Sparkling Blueberry Grape juice
• 1/2 cup of Wild Cherry Brandy
• fresh plums and cranberries, for garnish
• lime wedges
• sugar

Pour the liquid ingredients into a large pitcher and stir.  Garnish with fresh plums and cranberries, if desired.

Serve in a sugar-rimmed martini glass.

Check out all the other delicious cocktails below!

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Thanks,  Jessica Hill