White Sangria with Pear and Cranberry

For the syrup: Combine the cranberries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cover and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cook until the cranberries are softened, about 5 minutes. Mash all of the cranberries with the back of a fork and pass the mixture through a strainer and reserve the syrup, pressing on the berries to extract all of the liquid. Discard the cranberries and set the syrup aside for use in the sangria.

For the sangria: In a medium sized pitcher or jar, combine the bottle of wine, two tablespoons of the syrup, and the pear brandy. Stir the mixture together until it becomes a uniform, pale pink hue. Taste a spoonful of the sangria to make sure the flavor of the cranberries and the pear brandy come through. If you don’t detect these flavors (or prefer them to be more bold), add more syrup or brandy. At this point the sangria can be covered and stored for up to three days in the refrigerator.

When you are ready to serve the sangria, add the diced pears and stir gently. Ladle or pour the sangria into large wine glasses, being sure to include some fresh pear in each glass. Top each glass of sangria with a generous splash of sparkling water and serve.