Holiday cocktail season is here and I for one am here for it! There is no better time to make a special cocktail for your friends and family than during the holidays! I happen to love sangria to make when I am going to have a group of people over because you can make a big batch and be done with it. I love a low maintenance cocktail that tastes amazing too and this sangria does not disappoint. This recipe for spiced apple cider sangria is going to the cocktail you want to make throughout the holiday season!

What I love about a sangria is that you literally take a bunch of ingredients that pair well together and simply add them into a pitcher and let the refrigerator do its magic while fruit and spices infuse the liquid. It couldn’t be any easier and this spiced apple cider sangria is going to quickly become one of your favorites. The step that makes this sangria a little extra special is that I like to infuse the apple cider with spices like cinnamon, star anise, and cloves as well as some fresh ginger! It really adds so much flavor to the apple cider and really gives it a holiday taste, not to mention it smells amazing too while is simmers away on the stove.

I like to use a dry white wine here, but you could also turn this recipe into a sparkling sangria situation by using a dry champagne or prosecco instead. You really can’t go wrong either way. I love that because the apple cider is already sweetened, there is no making a simple syrup for this recipe making it even easier. One less step? Yes please!

After the spiced apple cider is chilled thoroughly, I add in fresh apples and oranges along with the wine and brandy and let the flavors do their thing overnight before I serve it up to my guests. The whole make the day before is another perk, because that is one less recipe I have to make the day of my holiday gathering. I am so excited for you to try out this recipe for yourself, I really think you are going to enjoy this one!

Cheers!

Ingredients:

2 Cups Apple Cider
2 Cinnamon Sticks
2 Star Anise
5 Whole Cloves
1, 1” piece of ginger cut into slices
1 Pink Lady or Honeycrisp Apple
1 Grannysmith Apple
2 Navel Oranges (one slices and one whole for juice)
1 Bottle of Pinot Grigio Wine
1/4 Cup Brandy or Bourbon
Sparkling Water for Topping off

Directions:

Bring apple cider, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, and ginger to a boil on the stove and reduce and let simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let steep for another 5 minutes. Strain the apple cider and chill completely.
Add chilled spiced apple cider to a large pitcher with wine, apples, the juice from one orange, oranges slices, and brandy and stir. Let sit in the fridge overnight or at least 4 hours.
When ready to serve, pour over crushed ice and top off with sparkling water and garnish with extra fruit. Serve immediately.

Note: You can also use a champagne or prosecco instead of sparkling water and wine. Just wait to pour the bubbles in until you are ready to serve!