This Sparkling Apple Cider Sangria is a big batch cocktail with the taste of fall in every glass. It’s easy to make with just wine, liquor, your favorite fruits, and prosecco. Homemade, sweet refreshment perfect for fall parties, Halloween and Thanksgiving.
I can never wait for fall to begin as it always signals cooler weather, gorgeous colored leaves, and family holidays. Of course, that also means it's apple season and time for all things apple and apple cider!
And apple cider is good in so many things. There are apple cider cookies, apple cider donut pound cake, apple cider margaritas, and this new fall sangria with apple cider.
Table of contents
Sangria is one of the most adaptable and easy cocktails you can make. You can choose either red or white wine, add any kinds of fruit you have on hand, and add your preferred alcohol for an extra boozy kick.
This alcohol can vary from the traditional brandy to triple sec, whiskey, vodka, or rum. You can also opt to add a sparkle with prosecco, champagne or soda water. Whatever way you choose to make it, it is always fruity, refreshing, and popular.
With so many ways to make this apple sangria, you can make it all season long and never get tired of it. It's great for the upcoming holidays like Halloween parties as well as family gatherings for Thanksgiving. I've even served it around the firepit while enjoying conversations with friends. It's just soooo good!
What is sangria
Sangria is a drink or wine punch that originated in Spain and Portugal. It typically contains red or white wine, fruit juice, seasonal fruit, a sweetener, brandy or other flavored liquor, and perhaps a little something bubbly.
What is the best wine to use for white sangria
Drier, fruity, and high acidic white wines are best suited for white wine sangria.
- Dry Rieslings - are rich, bright, and crisp wines with high acidity. Stick to a dry riesling for sangrias as they contain the lowest amount of sugar.
- Pinot Grigio - a light white wine with fruity overtones of lemon, yellow apple, and white peach. A perfect pairing with the apple cider in this fall sangria.
- Moscato - has fruity aromas with crisp flavors of peaches and orange blossoms and may have a slight effervescence. One of the sweeter wines to use for white sangria.
- Sauvignon Blanc - is the most popular white wine in the U.S. featuring a refreshing crispness, low sugar content, and high levels of acidity.
- Albarino - is a Spanish wine that has great citrus flavors. It's perfect for sangrias that contain lemon, lime and oranges.
Frequently asked questions
It keeps 3-5 days in the refrigerator. In actuality, the fruit will go bad before the sangria does.
Yes. A sangria will usually have white or red wine in it accompanied by a spirit such as brandy, whiskey or Triple Sec.
Sangria usually has about the same alcohol content as a glass of wine. However, since it is so light, sweet and bubbly it goes down easily and it is easy to drink more than usual so be careful of your total consumption.
Mixing the fruit, wine and liquor ahead of time and placing it in the refrigerator gives time for the fruits to infuse their flavor into the mixture so it becomes sweeter and more mellow.
Absolutely! You should always taste the cocktail after it has mellowed in the refrigerator and then adjust it to your liking. You can make it sweeter by adding more orange juice or stirring in 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup for even more fall flavor. If you want it sweeter and boozier, add more triple sec or flavored vodka.
What can I replace brandy with in sangria
For those that are not fond of brandy or just don't keep it on hand in the house, there are several options that make the sangria just as delicious and flavorful.
Triple Sec - which I used in this recipe adds the perfect amount of sweet orange flavor to the mix. It also complements the oranges in the fruit mixture.
Grand Marnier & Cointreau are an equally nice substitution, adding a similar orange flavor as that of Triple Sec.
Whiskey - is the usual choice to replace the brandy due to its similarity in flavor and alcohol content.
Vodka - can be a flavorless addition to up the alcohol content or try a flavored vodka such as caramel vodka or apple pie vodka for a flavorful twist.
Rum - will add a sweet flavor to the mix and create a wonderful complexity of flavor. Most of the rum will be absorbed by the fruit for an extra nice nibble.
Sparkling Juice adds carbonation and more fruit flavor to the sangria. Stick with orange, lemon, lime, apple, and pomegranate flavors for this one.
Soda such as club soda or, for a sweeter sangria, ginger ale, to add that extra sparkle to the apple sangria.
Recipe Variations
Caramel Vodka - Caramel Apple Sangria or, as some call it, Apple Pie Sangria, brings the flavor of caramel apples to cocktail hour. Replace the triple sec with caramel vodka and stick to just apples for fruit.
Apple Pie Vodka - adds the taste of apple pie to this sangria. Replace the Triple Sec with the flavored vodka and add a bit of ginger brandy in place of orange juice.
Fireball Whiskey- sometimes call Apple Cinnamon Sangria or Fireball Sangria gives you a cocktail with a kick. Try adding ½ cup Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey to this apple cider sangria in place of the triple sec as well as a couple of cinnamon sticks.
Apple Cider Sangria with Bourbon - is a simple sangria with bourbon replacing the triple sec and skipping the orange juice and lemon juice.
Apple Cider Sangria with Moscato - makes a sweeter sangria. Just replace the pinot grigio with Moscato and add your favorite fruits like apples and cranberries.
Ingredients
- White wine is the base of sangria. It does not have to be an expensive wine but should be one that you would also sip on alone. Pinot Grigio, dry Rieslings, Sauvignon Blanc or Moscato are all good choices.
- Apple Cider brings the predominant flavor to the cocktail. Try to use fresh apple cider and not apple juice for the most flavor.
- Sliced fruit such as apples, oranges and lemons are very traditional but feel free to add your favorites to the mix. Summer sangrias go well with berries while fall goes best with apples.
- Triple Sec punches up the alcoholic content. It also lends a wonderful orange flavor to the mix in place of the traditional brandy.
- Prosecco is an optional add-in for a more effervescent sangria. You can also lower the alcoholic content by subbing in club soda for the bubbly.
How to make Fall Sangria with Apple Cider
Prepare fruits
- Slice apples in half then slice each half thinly.
- Cut lemons into thin slices.
- Slice orange thinly then cut into quarters.
- Cube pears.
Build sangria mixture
- Add apple, orange, lemon and pear pieces to a large pitcher.
- Drop in pomegranate arils.
- Pour cider over fruit in pitcher.
- Add orange juice to pitcher.
- Pour in triple sec and lemon juice.
- Finish by adding bottle of white wine.
- Sangria is ready to be chilled to help flavors develop and allow fruit to sweeten the cocktail.
To serve
To serve the cocktail, start by scooping some of the fruit from the pitcher into the glass. The fruit will have soaked up some of the alcohol and tastes so good to nibble on as you sip away. Next, add the sangria to the glass. Fill ¾ full so there is room for prosecco or other sparkling options.
Top with something sparkling. I like to use prosecco but feel free to use champagne, sparkling water, club soda, or ginger ale.
This big batch cocktail takes just minutes to prep and is a great drink for entertaining a crowd. But don't let that stop you from making it for your own happy hour as any leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Serve this sparkling apple cider sangria with your favorite Mexican food or Spanish tapas. Enjoy!
More Fall Cocktails
Apple Cider Float Cocktail is a delicious combination of apple cider, a dash of cinnamon, some chilled champagne, and topped off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Pumpkin Spice White Russian takes just 3 ingredients, vodka, coffee liqueur, and pumpkin spice coffee creamer, to make the yummiest autumn cocktail.
Blackberry Margarita (aka Black Widow) is the perfect sipper for Halloween. Flavored with Chambord and muddled blackberries, it's a standard margarita with a berry twist.
Hot Fireball Apple Cider takes the chill off with a warm mix of apple cider, Fireball whiskey and vanilla vodka.
Hot Apple Cider Cocktail with bourbon or rum.
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Sparkling Apple Cider Sangria
Ingredients
- 1 bottle Pinot Grigio
- 2 ½ cups apple cider
- ½ cup triple sec brandy, whiskey, cognac, Cointreau, rum, Grand Marnier, caramel flavored vodka can also be used
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- Prosecco or sparkling water, juice or soda for a less alcoholic version
- 1-2 apples cut in half then sliced thinly
- 1-2 pears chopped
- 1 orange sliced and quartered
- 1 lemon sliced thinly
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
- Cinnamon sticks and star anise
Instructions
- Slice or chop apples, pears, orange and lemon. I like to slice some and dice some for variety.
- Place in large pitcher along with pomegranate arils.
- Pour in apple cider, triple sec, orange juice and lemon juice.
- Add entire bottle of Pinot Grigio.
- Stir and place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
- When ready to serve, fill glasses with ice then scoop out some of the fruit and add to each glass.
- Pour sangria into glasses until they’re ¾ full. Top with some prosecco.
- Garnish with cinnamon stick and 1 star anise.
Notes
- Dry Rieslings - are rich, bright, and crisp wines with high acidity. Stick to a dry riesling for sangrias as they contain the lowest amount of sugar.
- Pinot Grigio - a light white wine with fruity overtones of lemon, yellow apple, and white peach. A perfect pairing with the apple cider in this fall sangria.
- Moscato - has fruity aromas with crisp flavors of peaches and orange blossoms and may have a slight effervescence. One of the sweeter wines to use for white sangria.
- Sauvignon Blanc - is the most popular white wine in the U.S. featuring a refreshing crispness, low sugar content, and high levels of acidity.
- Albarino - is a Spanish wine that has great citrus flavors. It's perfect for sangrias that contain lemon, lime and oranges.
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