A spirited toast to all things alcoholic!  By Leslie Dinaberg

Sandra Lee’s Hot Spiced Sangria (from Foodnetwork.com)

Sangria is one of my favorite warm weather libations, but until our recent uber cold front (quite unusual for Santa Barbara) I had never thought about serving it warm.

But I was recently gifted with a bottle of the new Eppa SuperFruit Sangria (available at Whole Foods) on the same day a recipe for Sandra Lee’s homemade simmered sangria landed on my desk from the Food Network and I thought, why not try it the super easy way? So I threw a few cinnamon sticks in a saucepan and warmed that puppy up. Not only did it make my whole house smell delicious, a few sips of that sweet spicy taste had visions of sugarplums dancing in my head! (An exceptionally welcome treat around during this busy holiday season.)

Here are links to a few more warm sangria recipes—in case you actually want to make it yourself.

This just might become a new holiday favorite:

The Wine Fugitive’s Warm Sangria

Southern Living’s Warm Spiced Sangria

Hot Sangria from Epicurious

Spiced Apple Sangria from My Life as a Mrs.

Leslie Dinaberg, photo by Derek Johnson

When she’s not busy working as the editor of Santa Barbara SEASONS Magazine, Cocktail Corner author Leslie Dinaberg writes magazine articles, newspaper columns and grocery lists. When it comes to cocktails, Leslie considers herself a “goal-oriented drinker.”

Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on December 20, 2012.