It’s Cocktail Friday again! I know a lot of you are getting geared up for what is sure to be a strange (but hopefully safe) Thanksgiving. No matter how small your gathering will be this year, this Apple Cider Sangria is the perfect mixed drink to share with loved ones. I had a few friends help me taste test it, and we all agreed that it tastes like Thanksgiving in a glass!
Like any sangria, this one gets better when you let it sit overnight so that the flavors can really meld together. And don’t even think about skipping the cinnamon sticks (unless you’re using a spiced apple cider, in which case you could probably get away without them).
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to recreate this Apple Cider Sangria:
- Apple cider – Of course! There’s no real substitute for this, and I wouldn’t recommend apple juice because it just doesn’t have the same flavor.
- White wine – Like any sangria, you’ll need some wine here. I recommend something that’s dry to semi-dry like Sauvignon Blanc. The brightness of it works well with the cider and doesn’t compete too much with the other flavors.
- Apple brandy – I used Calvados since it’s what I had on hand, but apple, pear, or even apricot brandy would work well here. I haven’t tried it with plain brandy, but I’m sure that would work fine too.
- Ginger beer – I personally love the flavor and spice of ginger beer and I think it really complements the fall flavors of this sangria. I know not everyone loves it to the same degree, so start with half of what’s called for and add the rest to your own taste.
- Fruit – I went with a couple types of apples and an orange for mine and chopped them up. Slices work great too, but chopping them up makes it easier for guests to nibble on the fruit as they drink. You can add whole fresh cranberries to the mix too if you’d like.
- Cinnamon sticks – Don’t skip them! As the sangria rests overnight, they really do impart some incredible cinnamon flavor and make it taste even more like apple cider than the sangria does before resting.
Shop for This Recipe
I bought the dispenser you see here from Home Goods forever ago and finally got to use it for this recipe!
Apple Cider Sangria
Ingredients
- 48 fl oz apple cider
- 1 750 ml bottle dry or semi-dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc
- 16.9 fl oz Fever Tree Refreshingly Light Ginger Beer
- 8 fl oz apple brandy
- 1 red apple, chopped
- 1 green apple, chopped
- 1 orange, chopped
- 4 cinnamon sticks
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a pitcher and refrigerate overnight. Serve over ice.
Tips & Tricks
Nutrition Information
For my macro trackers out there, I wasn’t able to create a My Fitness Pal barcode for this recipe since I would have had to decide for you whether to put the alcohol calories in as carbs or fats – that’s up to you! The 24 grams of carbs listed here only account for the sugar in the juice, wine, ginger beer, and brandy. For my non-macro trackers, here’s more info on what I’m talking about.
