Leveled Up Trader Joe's Sangria for the Holidays

You're going to love this doctored up Trader Joe's sangria recipe that's super simple to make. No one will guess that this festive cocktail started with pre-mixed sangria.

And, since this drink is best the next day, after it's had some time to infuse, it's the perfect make-ahead recipe for the holidays. Serve it for Thanksgiving dinner or as a Christmas sangria, and you'll have some really happy dinner guests!

Between class parties, work get-togethers, and hosting family and friends, I'll be honest: The holidays can be stressful. That's why this is the best sangria recipe. It's impressive and crowd-pleasing while being a snap to make.

And, I can adjust the recipe as I want. For the winter holidays, I use fresh fruit like cranberries or pomegranate seeds and citrus, but this recipe is the perfect drink any time of year.

Just add your favorite fruits that are in season. In the warmer months, I pick fresh seasonal fruit like peaches and strawberries for the perfect summer version of sangria.

This sangria also happens to be amazing as a frozen slushie--just freeze in ice cube trays and add a couple to a blender. Voila! The perfect beach or poolside bevvy for a hot summer day.

Looking for other make-ahead holiday recipes? My sausage balls without Bisquick are always a favorite recipe as is my spicy pimento cheese. Or, if you're looking for more of my favorite cocktails, be sure to check out my bourbon rickey recipe as well as my prickly pear Moscow mule.

Now, let's get to what you're here for: the best almost homemade sangria!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Tasty Tip
• Frequently asked questions
• Related
• Pairing
• 🍽Get the recipe
• Recipe guidelines and test kitchen tips
• Food safety

Ingredients

Before we get started, let's gather the ingredients we need for this perfect sangria recipe:

• Trader Joe's Marie Jola sangria
• brandy
• fresh or frozen cranberries
• oranges
• green apple
• cinnamon sticks
• rosemary sprigs

(See recipe card for quantities and the full recipe.)

Instructions

Now that we've got our ingredients, let's make this festive cocktail!

Hint: Keep a bottle or two of this sangria on hand--you never know when you'll need it. For a summer version, add your favorite sliced stone fruits like peaches or nectarines and berries like strawberries and raspberries.

Substitutions

Need some ideas for ingredient substitutions? Here are a few:

• Sangria - Use another brand of pre-mixed sangria if you'd like.
• Brandy - Instead of brandy, you can use orange liqueur like triple sec or Grand Marnier. Or, omit it completely.
• Fruit - Change up the types of fruit to whatever you have on hand. Change up the fruit to whatever you have on hand. Halved grapes, pears, and red apples are all a great choice.

Variations

Here are some other ways to adjust this winter sangria recipe:

• Sangria with Fruity Ice Cubes - Buy an extra bottle of sangria or some sweetened cranberry juice. Add the fruit to ice cube trays and pour the liquid over the top and freeze. The fruity ice cubes can be added to individual glasses to use instead of regular ice. Or create a sangria wine punch and serve the fruity ice cubes and sangria in a punch bowl.
• Sangria Fizz - Add some sparkle to this cocktail. Add sparkling wine (sparkling white wine or rose) or club soda to give it some fizz.
• Sangria Slush - Strain the sangria (reserving the fruit for garnish, if desired) and freeze until firm. Just before serving, whizz in a blender to make it slushy.

Equipment

Here's the equipment you'll need for this recipe:

• chef's knife
• large pitcher
• wooden spoon
• dry measuring cups
• liquid measuring cup

Storage

Refrigerate the sangria for up to 4 days in an airtight container.

You can also freeze leftover sangria. I like to strain out the fruit and pour the sangria into ice cube trays and then freeze. Then, I transfer the sangria cubes to a large zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 months.

Frequently asked questions

Related

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with this sangria recipe:

🍽Get the recipe

Recipe guidelines and test kitchen tips

When developing and testing recipes, here are some key things that I do for more success in the kitchen:

• Be sure to use dry measuring cups for things like flour, sugar, and mayonnaise and a liquid measuring cup for things like water, milk, and broth.
• When measuring dry ingredients like flour and powdered sugar that can pack down, spoon the ingredient into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife as opposed to scooping the measuring cup into the ingredient.
• I test and develop recipes using a standard electric oven and standard gas stovetop. Be aware that if you use an electric stovetop or convection oven, your bake times will be different.
• When recipes call for kosher salt, I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

Food safety

Finally, don't forget to keep these food safety tips in mind when making this recipe.

• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.