Name: Cinnamon Spice Apple Cider Sangria
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 6-8 cocktails
Ingredients: For the Sangria; 1 Honeycrisp or Pink Lady apple; 1 Granny Smith apple; 2 seedless navel oranges; 2 cinnamon sticks; 3 cups fresh apple cider (look for this at your local farmers market or in the refrigerator section at your local grocery store); ½ cup spiced dark rum; 1 bottle pinot grigio or dry riesling white wine; ¼ cup simple syrup, optional; 1 bottle hard apple cider; 1 apple slice; 1 tsp pomegranate seeds

Drinks

Cinnamon Spice Apple Cider Sangria

Author: Mary DiSomma

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I love a good sangria. My traditional red sangria recipe is full of delicious, juicy fruit—plus a healthy dose of orange liqueur and brandy. My white sangria recipe is the yin to red sangria’s yang. I make it with my favorite Spanish white Rioja wine, then load it up with freshly sliced lemons, limes, Granny Smith apples, and even pears.

When the calendar turns to September, however, I swap out my summer favorites for this equally delicious and even more festive fall-inspired recipe: My Cinnamon Spice Hard Apple Cider Sangria.

Have you ever tried mulled wine? This Cinnamon Spice Apple Cider Sangria recipe is kind of like mulled wine’s cooler, more refreshing cousin. It’s perfect for those late summer and early fall days when it’s cool in the morning and evening, but still hot during the day.

Tips

Have you ever tried mulled wine? This hard apple cider sangria recipe is kind of like mulled wine’s cooler, more refreshing cousin. It’s perfect for those late summer and early fall days when it’s cool in the morning and evening, but still hot during the day.

To me, this sangria just tastes like fall. I love using farm-fresh apple cider in mine—it’s pretty easy to find at most supermarkets as well as at your local farmers market. A splash of hard apple cider gives it an effervescent mouthfeel and a little extra flavor, making it a totally drinkable autumn comfort “food” that everyone is sure to enjoy.

As far as the hard cider goes, get a 750ml (about 25 ounces) bottle of cider or use a couple of 12-ounce bottles. One of my favorites is Island Orchard Cider from Door County, Wisconsin. They make a terrific apple ginger hard cider that works great with this recipe!

One final note before we get to the recipe: I have a beautiful glass pitcher that I love to use for all my sangria recipes, so all my guests can enjoy the beautiful fruit floating around. This recipe works great as a party-style punch or as a nice “cocktail” in individual, garnished glasses. Either way, it’s delicious!