Ingredients:
- cup Water
- cup Granulated Sugar
- Cinnamon Sticks
- Whole Star Anise pods
- Peels of 1 large orange (zest)
- standard bottle (750 ml) Dry Red Wine (e.g., Tempranillo)
- /2 cup Brandy or Cognac
- /2 cup Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
- medium Fresh Figs, quartered
- cup Pomegranate Arils (Seeds)
- large Crisp Apple (e.g., Honeycrisp), thinly sliced
- large Navel Orange, thinly sliced
- to 1.5 cups Chilled Sparkling Water or Club Soda (to top off)
Instructions:
- Make the Spiced Simple Syrup: Combine water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and orange zest in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes. Strain out spices/zest and allow the syrup to cool completely in the fridge.
- Prepare the Fruit: Thoroughly wash all fruit. Quarter the figs, and thinly slice the apple and orange (leaving the skin on).
- Macerate the Base: In your large pitcher, combine the cooled simple syrup, red wine, brandy, and orange juice. Add all the prepared fruit (figs, apple, orange slices).
- The Steep: Gently stir everything together. Cover the pitcher and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, but ideally overnight (12 hours) to allow the fruit flavours to infuse the wine.
- Final Assembly: Just before serving, stir in the pomegranate arils. Taste the mixture—add a splash more cooled simple syrup if needed for sweetness.
- Serve: Fill glasses with ice. Pour the Sangria mixture into the glasses, ensuring each serving gets a good mix of fruit. Top each glass with a splash of chilled sparkling water for effervescence. Garnish with a fresh orange slice or a sprinkle of arils.