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Sparkling Cranberry Orange Sangria

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Sparkling Cranberry Orange Sangria Recipe -- quick and easy to make, and perfect for the holidays or any good party! | gimmesomeoven.com

‘Tis the season for friends.

And giving.

And, of course, Friendsgiving!

Somehow I lucked out this year and have had the chance to celebrate a record — not one, not two, but — three Friendsgiving celebrations this month. And I must say, I absolutely love that this little holiday has become such a “thing”. Because any time that good friends want to gather around the table to share a good meal together, you can count me in. :)

My first Friendsgiving invite of the year was to a gathering at my friend, Tobe’s, gorgeous house. We had been talking earlier this fall about bringing together some old and new friends from Hallmark (where I worked as a food stylist once upon a time) for a weekday meal to begin the month, and I’m so glad we actually made it happen. Because time with this uber-creative, thoughtful, and friendly crowd always has a way of making my day. And I love all of the meaningful little touches that they add — from a DIY grocery store flower arrangement, to cute gratitude placecards, to creating a beautiful tabletop — to make celebrations feel extra-special.

Since I was knee-deep in testing out new recipes for Thanksgiving at the time, I volunteered to cook the meal for the day. And of course, I couldn’t resist making a festive little drink to share as well. Enter…this Sparkling Cranberry Orange Sangria!

Friendsgiving 7

Friendsgiving photos courtesy of Jane Kortright and Think.Make.Share.

Before we get to the sangria, though, I have to share with you a few pics that my friend, Jane Kortright, snapped at the party. And actually, before the party as well.

While I was busy cooking up a storm in the kitchen, the ever-talented Tobe was busy beside me arranging some DIY floral centerpieces using grocery store flowers and — do you see what I see? — fresh kale and artichokes!! Oh my goodness, so pretty, and so perfect for all of you foodies out there.

Friendsgiving | gimmesomeoven.com and thinkmakeshareblog.com

Tobe also used some cute DIY painted feathers to decorate these homemade “Thankful” place cards, which I absolutely loved.

 

Friendsgiving | gimmesomeoven.com and thinkmakeshareblog.com

And then I was in charge of the foooood (glorious foooood). ;)

Since there were quite a few vegetarians in the group, I decided to nix the turkey (which I generally feel “meh” about anyway) and go with a theme I had always wanted to try — a “sides-only” Thanksgiving dinner. It was a hit!

I made my Butternut Squash Quinoa “Stuffing”, Hummus Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole, Slow Cooker Creamed Corn, Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce, and Bourbon Pumpkin Pie recipes, along with some roasted veggies and dinner rolls. And even without the turkey, I think it’s safe to say that no one went hungry…
Friendsgiving | gimmesomeoven.com and thinkmakeshareblog.com

…or thirsty. ;)

So let’s talk about sangria…

Sparkling Cranberry Orange Sangria Recipe -- quick and easy to make, and perfect for the holidays or any good party! | gimmesomeoven.com

I’ve long said that sangria is my favorite cocktail to make for entertaining, because:

  1. it’s quick and easy to make
  2. it lends well towards mixing up in large batches
  3. it can be made in advance
  4. it looks extra festive when decorated with fruity garnishes
  5. it — most importantly — IS DELICIOUS!

And this Sparkling Cranberry Orange Sangria recipe is no exception.

Sparkling Cranberry Orange Sangria Recipe -- quick and easy to make, and perfect for the holidays or any good party! | gimmesomeoven.com

To make it, simply muddle some oranges and a cinnamon stick in some cranberry juice. (I recommend using 100% organic cranberry juice, if possible.)  Let it sit in the fridge for awhile (or up to 8 hours) to let all of the flavors meld together. Then when you’re ready to serve, pour in a bottle of sparkling wine…Sparkling Cranberry Orange Sangria Recipe -- quick and easy to make, and perfect for the holidays or any good party! | gimmesomeoven.com

…and voila! You’re ready to go!
Sparkling Cranberry Orange Sangria Recipe -- quick and easy to make, and perfect for the holidays or any good party! | gimmesomeoven.com

I served ours up with some extra fresh oranges, cranberries and cinnamon sticks, but feel free to garnish yours however you’d like.

Sparkling Cranberry Orange Sangria Recipe -- quick and easy to make, and perfect for the holidays or any good party! | gimmesomeoven.com

However you make it, I guarantee that this easy cocktail will come together in just minutes. Which gives you more time to spend on your other Thanksgiving (or Friendsgiving) dishes and..

Friendsgiving | gimmesomeoven.com and thinkmakeshareblog.com

…much more importantly, more time to spend with your friends. :)

Downloadable Friendsgiving invitation Gimme Some Oven and Hallmark cards

If you feel like hosting a Friendsgiving of your own, my talented friends with Hallmark’s Think.Make.Share blog designed this cute invite that you can download (for free!) by clicking on the image here. And of course, I have tons of great recipes in our Thanksgiving archive here on the blog that would be delicious for your celebration too. ;)

So cheers to a season full of friends, and giving, and hopefully many more Happy Friendsgivings out there!

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Sparkling Cranberry Orange Sangria

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  • Prep Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x

Description

This Sparkling Cranberry Orange Sangria recipe is simple to make, and full of delicious holiday flavors that everyone is sure to love.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups cranberry juice
  • ½ cup Cointreau (or any orange liqueur)
  • 1 orange, thinly sliced
  • 1 lemon or lime, thinly sliced
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 bottle sparkling wine (Cava, Champagne, etc.)
  • optional garnishes for serving: fresh cranberries, extra cinnamon sticks, extra sliced oranges

Instructions

  1. Stir together cranberry juice, Cointreau, orange slices, lemon (or lime) slices and cinnamon sticks in a large pitcher.
  2. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to eight hours).
  3. When you are ready to serve the sangria, add the sparkling wine to the cranberry juice mixture and stir briefly to combine.
  4. Serve immediately in glasses, topped with optional garnishes if desired.

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12 comments on “Sparkling Cranberry Orange Sangria”

  1. Is it weird I’ve never been to a Friendsgiving celebration? I guess next year I’m going to have to host one myself! Looks like you guys had a blast and how cool you keep the tradition going. Of course your sangria looks deevine, but I love all the extras in this post, too. Clinks!

  2. The Friendsgiving invite is super cute! The sangria looks wonderful. Unfortunately my husband won’t touch cranberry anything with a 10 foot pole, so, I need to find a time to make this when I have some friends to share it with. Or ya, know just drink it all by myself ;) haha!

    • Thanks Emily! We hope you can find some time to enjoy this yourself (or with some girlfriends)! :)

  3. Gorgeous (and yummy) Friendsgiving celebration! We just hosted ours on Saturday so we missed this awesome sangria for that but it will be on our Thanksgiving day menu, yay!

  4. This looks gorgeous and I bet it tastes amazing!

  5. I am a complete sangria-aholic. It’s my go-to for entertaining too! Loving everything about this sparkly wintry one. Wish we could sip on this together in person!

  6. what a perfect drink to make for Friendsgiving!! I’ll have to add it to my holiday party list! 

  7. Any ideas for a diabetic substitution for the juice other than a no sugar added/sugar free juice? This looks so good, but I have a diabetic guest and I’d love to have something to offer them as well.

  8. This is Very very nice article. Everyone should read. Thanks for sharing and I found it very helpful.