Name: Apple Cider Sangria
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 3 h 10 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 bottle dry white wine such as pinot grigio; 2 1/2 cups apple cider; 1/2 cup bourbon or whiskey; 2 apples, sliced thin; 1 orange, sliced; 3 cinnamon sticks; Ginger beer for topping off the cocktail

Apple Cider Sangria is the perfect cocktail to serve this fall and holiday season! Made with white wine, sweet apple cider, crisp apples, oranges, cinnamon and a little bourbon to top it all off.

Fall isn’t complete until I create a new cocktail to celebrate the season. Apples and apple cider are my ingredients of choice for fall cocktails, I just can’t get into a pumpkin drink. This apple cider sangria is so darn tasty and perfect for sipping on with your favorite fall meal. It will also be a great cocktail to serve this Thanksgiving!

Sangria and bourbon cocktails seems to be a reoccurring theme on the blog. This peach rosé sangria is incredibly popular in the summer and this apple cider old fashioned is not to be missed during the fall. As you’ll see below, the recipe for this apple cider sangria is a mashup of both and it’s so delicious!

Ingredients Needed to Make Apple Cider Sangria

Pinot grigio
Apple cider
Bourbon or whiskey
Apples
Orange
Cinnamon sticks
Ginger beer

How to Make Sangria

Sangria is very easy to make and a great cocktail to serve when you don’t want to make individual cocktails for everyone. When making sangria, you’ll need a large pitcher and make sure that pitcher will fit in your refrigerator before you start.

Start by slicing the apples and oranges. You’ll want to slice them pretty thin so that they can be added into the glasses you’ll be serving the sangria in. Add the sliced fruit to the pitcher. Toss in the whole cinnamon stick and pour in the bourbon, apple cider and the entire bottle of pinot grigio. Stir everything together and refrigerate it for at least a few hours.

When it’s time to serve the sangria, add a couple ice cubes to the glasses. Pour in the sangria and use a spoon to scoop out a few of the apple slices. Top off the cocktail with a little ginger beer, club soda or sparkling water. If you’re feeling fancy, garnish the rim with an apple or orange slice.

Tips and FAQ

What Can I Use Instead of Bourbon? If you don’t like or don’t have bourbon, brandy would be a good replacement.

What Kind of Apples Should I Use? I suggest using a sweet and crisp variety. I used Honeycrisp apples in this recipe, but you could also use Granny Smith, Pink Lady (Cripps Pink) or Jazz apples.

Can I Make Sangria Ahead of Time? Yes! Sangria is a cocktail you want to make ahead of time. It needs time for the flavors of the fruit to infuse into the wine. Not to mention, the boozy fruit is the best part of this cocktail. I recommend making it at least three hours ahead of time, but you can make it the night before serving and it will taste even better.

How Long Will Apple Cider Sangria Keep? Well, if you’re like me, it will be gone in a day. Joking aside, it will keeps for 3-4 days. This isn’t the case with all sangria. If you’re using soft fruit such as berries, I recommend keeping it no long than a couple days, unless you remove the fruit. Since apples are sturdy, you get extra time and don’t really need to separate the fruit.

More Sangria Recipes