My effervescent apple cider sangria recipe is the perfect fall cocktail for any occasion this holiday season! It's so delicious, with pomegranates, honeycrisp apples, sweet apple cider, a little spice, and white wine; make a big batch ahead of time for all the fall flavors to mix together.
Looking for more apple cider recipes? Try my Apple Cider Mules, Caramel Apple Sangria, or Bubbly Caramel Apple Mimosas!
The Perfect Make-Ahead Cocktail for Fall
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, friend. How fast has the year blown by?!
All summer I was working on new recipes for my upcoming cookbook, (yes, I'm finally becoming a cookbook author!) so fall has been nothing but me bustling in autumnal pumpkin bread scented bliss. I can't complain a lick about it, I absolutely love cozy fall recipes.
Which is why this apple cider sangria is the perfect candidate for an update!
It's one of my favorite cocktails while fall figures out whether or not we are going to be in the crisp fall 60-ish degree weather or in 70-ish spring like weather, since it's cold, crisp, and bubbly, while still infused with all those delicious flavors from the boozy fruit.
Try this recipe for any fall gathering or Thanksgiving dinner, apple cider sangria is the ultimate crowd pleaser. You make the whole thing ahead of time, let it sit in the fridge for up to like 3 days if you need to and, right before serving, pour in some bubbly club soda for that effervescence. Everyone will absolutely love it.
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Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Prep is Literally 10 Minutes - The only prep is slicing or chopping up fruit, that's it!
- Make it Way Ahead of Time - this fall cocktail can be made up to 3 days prior!
- Perfect for any Autumnal Occasion, Especially Thanksgiving - flavors like apple and orange work great in this sangria, it's simply fall in a glass.
- Versatile Recipe - swap the white for red wine, use another liqueur, chop up and add all your favorite fruits, the sangria is your oyster.
Equipment
- Sharp Chef's Knife or Mandoline - I love using this mandoline, it comes with special guards so it's impossible to cut yourself and I'm able to slice things quickly!
- Large Pitcher
- Long Spoon
Ingredients for Apple Cider Sangria
Full ingredients, measurements, and printable instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Fresh Apple Cider - all of the local grocery stores are bursting with gallons of unfiltered apple cider, bonus points for Honeycrisp apple cider!
- White Wine - my favorite is moscato, but I know dry white wines also are fabulous in this sangria.
- Apple Brandy - you can also use an orange liqueur or schnapps.
- Seasonal Fruit - I really enjoy using granny smith and honeycrisp apple slices, pomegranate arils, orange slices, and pears. Classic fall!
- Whole Cinnamon Sticks - or garnish with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon!
- Bubbly Topper - this could be spicy ginger beer or ginger ale, club soda, or sparkling apple cider.
How to Make Apple Cider Sangria
Step 1 | Place all your apples slices, oranges, pears, pomegranate arils, and cinnamon sticks into your pitcher.
Step 2 | Add the apple cider, white wine, and brandy to the pitcher.
Step 3 | Give it a stir, then let it refrigerate for at least 4 hours to get those flavors together.
Step 4 | When you're ready to serve, add the club soda or other bubbly goodness to the pitcher. Stir, and garnish each glass with a cinnamon stick if you'd like!
Variations and Substitutions
- Use white wine that you love - I'm a sweet girl and a moscato can't go wrong in this sangria for me. But if you're a dry white wine girl, go with a dry wine like sauvignon blanc, a pinot grigio, or bubbly prosecco wine instead!
- You don't have to just stick to apples, brandy, and cider, though. Here are some great options and additions to your apple cider sangria:
- Add orange juice or cranberry juice to the sangria for more fruity flavors.
- I love adding a touch of maple syrup, it makes the best fall sangria.
- Add caramel vodka in lieu of some of the white wine. Delish! Or even try fireball whiskey in there for some heat and spice!
Pro Tips
- The mandoline makes slicing up all those fruits so much easier.
- Grab frozen pomegranate arils instead of doing it yourself. They're also fabulous in fruit salads and Christmas drinks, too!
- I know I have to say it: DON'T SWAP THE APPLE CIDER FOR APPLE CIDER VINEGAR. They're not the same thing! One is cloudy apple juice, the other is literal VINEGAR!
Storage Instructions
Keep the sangria in the fridge for up to 3 days in a pitcher with a lid on it.
FAQs
Make this a mocktail by taking out the liqueurs and wine, substitute it with sparkling apple cider, ginger beer, or sodas.
Apple cider sangria tastes best within 3 days, after that it can start tasting off.
More Fall Recipes
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Sparkling Apple Cider Sangria
Ingredients
- 3 cinnamon sticks, with more for serving
- 2 medium Honeycrisp or Gala apples, sliced thinly
- 1 medium pear, thinly sliced
- 1 medium navel orange, sliced
- ⅔ cup pomegranate seeds
- 1 750 mL bottle white wine
- 2 cups 480 mL pressed apple cider, the opaque kind
- ¼ cup 60 mL apple brandy
- Club soda or ginger beer, for serving
Instructions
- Place the cinnamon sticks, apples, orange segments, pomegranate seeds, and pears into a large pitcher or carafe.
- Add the white wine, apple cider, and apple brandy to the pitcher and stir with a long-handled wooden spoon to mix well. Allow the sangria to sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. You can make this up to 3 days in ahead of time.
- To serve, top the pitcher with club soda and stir it in. Garnish each wine glass with a cinnamon stick, if desired.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- A mandoline makes slicing up all those fruits so much easier.
- Grab frozen pomegranate arils instead of doing it yourself. They're also fabulous in fruit salads and Christmas drinks, too!
- I know I have to say it: DON'T SWAP THE APPLE CIDER FOR APPLE CIDER VINEGAR. They're not the same thing! One is cloudy apple juice, the other is literal VINEGAR!
- To make this a mocktail, keep out the wine and brandy and use more sparkling apple cider instead.
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