A glass of Sugar Plum Fairy Sangria is sure to please, Nutcracker fan or not!
If you are looking for a truly delicious cocktail that is fruity and fresh, but still perfect for the holidays, this Sugar Plum Fairy Sangria is a magical delight.
Made from Moscato and fruit juice, this sangria is refreshing and festive.
Enjoy a glass of Sugar Plum Fairy Sangria during the holidays
This cocktail is as festive as it gets.
The sugared fruit glitters and glistens, reminiscent of Christmas tree ornaments and holiday lights.
The Sugar Plum Fairy Sangria is a great refreshment for Christmas brunch, a New Year’s party, or any other gathering where you want to serve something extra special.
And while you sip your cocktail, hope you have a moment when visions of Sugar Plum Fairies dance in your head.
Naturally, it’s perfect to serve while you’re watching the Nutcracker at home or hosting an event.
It’s especially nice to serve to celebrate after your little one has danced in the Nutcracker ballet.
What kind of wine is Moscato?
Have you ever had Moscato?
Whether you are a wine connoisseur or not, Moscato is in a completely different league.
Moscato is made from Muscat grapes, and this line of Italian grapes (over 200 varieties) is truly special.
They are one of the oldest grapes in the world and the wine made from them tastes like orange blossoms and peaches.
Combine that amazing wine with cranberry and sparkling white grape juice.
Then garnish your sangria with fresh sugared plums, grapes, and cranberries.
Ingredients:
This drink is great to make by the glass or by the pitcher.
We’ve included the quantities and instructions for both.
- Moscato – 25 oz for a pitcher, 3 oz for a glass
- Sparkling White Grape Juice – 1 cup for a pitcher, 1.5 oz for a glass
- Cranberry Juice – 2 cups for a pitcher, 1/5 oz for a glass
- Plums – 2-3 for a pitcher, 1 slice for a glass
- Red Grapes – a handful for a pitcher, 1-2 for a glass
- Fresh Cranberries – a handful for a pitcher, 1-2 for a glass
- Sugar, for sugaring the glass and dipping the plums
- Light Corn Syrup, optional – for sugaring the glass
Can I serve the drink without alcohol?
Yes. You can find Muscat Grape Juice to replace the Moscotto wine.
The color may be a little different, but the taste will still be great.
We like the Muscat Canelli grape juice from Castello di Amorosa a lot.
It’s a good California grown grape.
But any Muscat grape juice will work.
Also, if you can’t find Muscat grape juice specifically, you may substitute a sparkling rose like Welch’s Sparkling Rose grape juice.
It will make the drink a bit fizzy.
So you’ll want to chill the bottle and mix it in at the time of serving rather than making it ahead of time.
How to make the drink
This drink is so easy to make.
If you are making the drink in quantity, use a pitcher to mix the drink.
If you are making a single drink, use a mixing glass to mix the drink.
In a large pitcher, combine the ingredients and put it in the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours.
If you’re making just one or two, fill a cocktail shaker half way with ice and shake the drink to chill it if you’re serving it right away.
After chilling the drink, sugar the glass before serving.
Pour the drink, add your Sugar Plum Cocktail Garnish, and enjoy!
How to sugar the glass
Pour a small amount of light corn syrup on a plate or shallow dish that has a flat surface that’s wider than the glass.
On a second similarly sized plate or shallow dish, pour a bit of sugar.
Turn the glass upside down and dip the glass into the corn syrup.
Then dip the glass in the sugar.
The sugar will stick to the light corn syrup.
How to make Sugar Plum Cocktail Garnish
We like to sugar the grapes and cranberries and leave the plum slices without the sugar so their color really shines through.
To coat the grapes and cranberries in sugar, add 1/4 cup of sugar in a small bowl.
Rinse the cranberries and grapes.
Rather than drying them, shake the water off a little bit so that they are still slightly wet.
The moisture is what the sugar will stick to.
Toss the grapes and cranberries into the sugar to coat them thoroughly.
Take a cocktail pick and pierce a cranberry, grape, plum slice, grape and another cranberry.
Depending on the length of your pick and the width of your glass you may want to use fewer (or more) pieces of fruit to make the garnish.
Rest the garnish on the glass and enjoy.
If you’re interested in learning more about sugaring cranberries for cocktail garnishes, we have a more detailed post on how to make these.
And if you’re making them for this recipe, they make a great garnish to have ready for other drinks too.
And you know these sugared cranberries are delicious to eat on their own.
It’s kind of like a nice Christmas cranberry candy!
More delicious holiday drinks to try:
Gingerbread White Russian Cocktail
Peppermint Hot Chocolate Coffee
Chocolate Covered Cherry Martini
Chocolate Covered Raspberry Martini
Hpnotiq Gin Cocktail with Cherry Heering
Highland Whiskey Hot Chocolate
Cranberry Ginger Beer Mocktail
try it and share!
Please let us know how you enjoy our Sugar Plum Fairy Sangria recipe.
If you make it yourself, please let us know on Pinterest that you tried it and tag us with #champagneandcoconuts on your Instagram photo.
If you haven’t had a chance to make it yet, be sure to save the recipe on Pinterest so you’ll remember where you found it.
Sugar Plum Fairy Sangria
Equipment
- Pitcher
- Plate
- Cutting Board
- Bar Knife
- Beverage Glass
- Cocktail Pick
Ingredients
- 25 oz. Moscato
- 1 cup Sparkling White Grape Juice
- 2 cups Cranberry Juice
- 2-3 plums sliced for garnish
- A handful of red grapes for garnish
- A handful of fresh cranberries for garnish
- ½ cup cup of sugar for coating
- Extra sugar and light corn syrup to rim the glass- optional
Instructions
- Combine ingredients into a large pitcher and chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
- To serve, optional- add a thin layer of light corn syrup to a shallow dish, then add a thin layer of sugar to another shallow dish.
- Dip your glass into the corn syrup, and then into the sugar to coat.
- Next, in a small bowl, add 1/2 cup of sugar.
- Take the cranberries and grapes and rinse them, shaking off the water just slightly. Toss into the sugar to coat.
- Serve with plum slices, cranberries, and grapes on a cocktail pick.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, I’m Jennifer. I love to cook and entertain. I have a lot of fun sharing traditional food and drink recipes as well as putting a new spin on the classics. I strive to provide easy to make recipes that are perfect for the home cook, bartender and entertainer.
Every year before Christmas, we watch the Nutcracker. We often go if there’s a local production, but that’s not going to happen this year. So we’ll be watching the movie, and making this yummy sangria and some other Nutcracker themed treats to make it a fun family day.