Aromatic and incredibly festive, this sangria is just the thing to serve for the holidays.
A highball is perfect to show off the colorful assortment of cranberries, sliced honeycrisp apples and wheels of orange citrus artfully set off by one final garnish: a single woodsy star anise. Whether used as a starter or as the signature cocktail for the evening (or afternoon!), this beautiful, understated, ginger-infused, effervescent spritzer will put you in the mood to celebrate.
As you might have guessed, this is made from sparkling wine, and despite its name, it does not include any of the typical players most often found in sangria, like brandy, cognac or cinnamon sticks. I have recently become taken with cava, Spain’s champagne, so cava is my choice for this lovely cocktail, but if you prefer Prosecco or some other sparkling wine, you can dress it up with this recipe just as nicely.
Never a big fan of the majority of sparkling wines I have tried, I was instantly smitten with cava as soon as I found out it is more similar to French Champagne than any of its sparkling cousins. That, along with the additional endorsements of my favorite local wine shop gal (and with it ringing up for a quarter of the price of Champagne), I was primed and ready to love it before I even tried it!
Cava is made using the same French traditional method of its second fermentation happening inside the bottle and it also has the same delicate, fine bubbles, which I absolutely adore. Its alcohol content (11%-12%) comes in at only slightly below that of French Champagne and it is light and crisp. Most have undertones of apples and citrus, which make it a great choice for this particular drink. I prefer the driest, least sweet, styles of cava with my favorite being “Brut Nature” with 0-3 grams/liter of residual sugar. The next driest style is “Extra Brut” with 0-6 grams/liter and both are perfect for this sangria.
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I encourage you to use the recipe as a guide in terms of how much honey, orange peel, ginger and star anise to include in the ‘syrup.’ I do not actually make a syrup, per se, mine is more of an infusion. I wait to sweeten it once it has cooled down to preserve all the good stuff in the honey.
As for the ginger, if you typically find ginger overpowering, I do not think you will find that to be the case with this cocktail. More than anything, the ginger brings warmth much more than flavor, something I was not expecting and really enjoy. The citrus and cranberries add an understated little zip that is mellowed by the honey and the star anise provides an incredible aroma. Every sip is a pleasure, especially if you slip a bite of the somewhat marinated honeycrisp apple slices from your glass every once in a while.
I use a substantial knob of sliced fresh ginger along with some extra citrus peel in order to strengthen my infusion to the max. I want a little of it to go a long way in terms of flavor because I do not want to water down the bubbles.
Making each cocktail individually also helps preserve the lovely effervescence of your cava or sparkling wine, but for a larger party, it is much more time efficient to make one large batch to serve out of pretty pitchers or from a punch bowl. Experiment with the amount of honey then further experiment with how much infusion-syrup you prefer. I tend to like less, but in no time, you will have your proportions just like you like — or you may stop caring if you work too hard at reaching perfection!
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This is the best cocktail I know to add pizzaz to lesser expensive bottles of bubbly. It is so pretty and so dressed up, just like I prefer the holidays to be.
If not this season to get dolled up, then when? I like to go all out! A little bling collar for the cat, some red lipstick for me, Tom (the husband) will put on his “good khakis,” and by God, I am going to class up the bubbly too.
Tis’ the season!
Ingredients
4 to 5 small honeycrisp apples, cored and thinly sliced in wedges or rounds
2 oranges, peeled and sliced in thin rounds (save peels — see below)
2 satsumas or small tangerines, peeled and sliced (save peels)
1/2 to 1 bag frozen cranberries
1/2 to 1 cup honey or pure maple syrup
4 to 6 whole star anise, plus more for garnish
Large thumb sized knob of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
2 to 3 bottles of cava, sparking wine or Prosecco
Optional: 1-2 cups vodka, (up to 1 cup per bottle of cava used)
Optional: Juice of 1/2 a large orange or 1 small satsuma or tangerine
Directions
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Over low heat, simmer star anise, fresh ginger and citrus peels in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes.
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Remove from heat and allow to cool before straining. While still slightly warm, stir in honey and orange juice, if using. Start with 2 tablespoons of honey and add more according to your sweetness preference.
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Place sliced apples, satsumas/oranges and half or all of the frozen cranberries in a bowl and pour ginger mixture over the fruit. Cover and chill in refrigerator. If using vodka, you can add a shot in with the fruit to marinate.
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Once chilled, either put all together in pitchers or punch bowl, adding infusion/syrup to taste. Pour or ladle into highball and top with a single star anise.
OR
If serving individually, our off most of the liquid into a measuring cup or a pretty creamer pitcher. Leave some for the fruit to continue to marinate.
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Place a mixture of soaked fruit pieces and about a tablespoon or two of ginger infusion in a highball. Top with cava or sparkling wine and drop a star anise on top.
Cook's Notes
-Use a vegetable peeler to avoid getting much pith (white part) in the orange peel. This goes only for the oranges. The satsuma or tangerine peels don’t have to be done this way.
-If adding vodka to this recipe, make sure it is well chilled. Add about 1/2 shot if making individual cocktails or up to 1 cup per bottle of cava for an entire batch. (I prefer it without vodka)
-You can serve over ice, if preferred.
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