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Made with dry white wine, this crisp apple cider sangria has all the tastes of fall. It's perfect for your next gathering or just to have on hand in the fridge.
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This sangria is your antidote to overly-sweet fall cocktails. Apple cider has a sweetness all its own, which is leveraged in this drink so we're skipping the added sugar from simple syrups.
Play up the apple by swapping traditional brandy for apple brandy, or play up the ginger by swapping ginger beer for the ginger ale.
What's in Apple Cider Sangria?
- Dry white wine - Use a dry (not sweet) white wine like a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.
- Apple brandy - You can substitute regular brandy or a different apple liqueur if that's what you have on hand.
- Apple cider - Fresh apple cider is the base of this sangria. Using apple juice will give you a very different drink with less apple flavor.
- Fresh Lemon - You need about half a lemon for this recipe.
- Aromatic bitters - These bitters will give the sangria a spicy fall note and keep the drink tart.
- Ginger ale - Besides a little ginger flavor, ginger all is adding sweetness to this drink.
- Apple slices and orange slices - For garnish in either the pitcher or the individual glasses. Or both!
How to Make Apple Cider Sangria
Combine wine, brandy, cider, lemon juice, and bitters in a large pitcher.
Add apple slices and orange slices. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
How to Serve Apple Cider Sangria
Fill a glass with ice.
Add sangria to glass, filling ¾ full.
Top with a splash of ginger ale.
Enjoy!
How to Garnish Apple Cider Sangria
I like to use a cinnamon sugar rim to garnish the individual sangria glasses. Combine a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon and one tablespoon of sugar in a shallow dish. Run a wedge of lemon over the rim of the glass. Run the rim gently through the cinnamon sugar mixture and set aside until ready to serve.
Red and green grapes also make for pretty garnish. Add them in with and/or in place of the apple and orange slices.
Recipe Tips
Add ¼ cup brown sugar syrup to the mixture and/or a second can of ginger ale.
If it's not apple season, swap the cider for apple juice. You'll want to double the amount of aromatic bitters if you go with this swap. Try to find a juice that's less processed and closer to apple cider, like Simply Apple.
Looking for More Easy Apple Cocktails?
Apple cocktails are one of my favorite things to serve from the beginning of September through Thanksgiving! Try my spiced apple cocktail made with apple liqueur, or this caramel apple cocktail and apple cider margarita, both made with fresh apple cider.
What to Serve with Apple Cider Sangria
Tart and crisp apple sangria pairs deliciously with these Slow Cooker Savory Spiced Nuts
More Drink Recipes by the Pitcher
Looking for more large-batch drink recipes? Try my white wine sangria, this festive mulled wine recipe, a pitcher of Christmas Sangria, a batch of non-alcoholic Apple Cider Punch, or one of the recipes below:
Print the Recipe Card
PrintApple Cider Sangria
Made with white wine, this crisp apple cider sangria has all the tastes of fall.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 0 min
- Total Time: 5 min
- Yield: 8 cocktails 1x
- Category: Cocktails
- Method: Stir
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 - 750ml bottle of dry white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc)
- ½ cup brandy
- 1 ½ cups apple cider
- 1 oz lemon juice (about ½ a lemon)
- 5 dashes aromatic bitters
- 12 oz ginger ale
- Apple slices for garnish
Instructions
Combine wine, brandy, cider, lemon juice, and bitters in a large pitcher.
Add apple slices and refrigerate until ready to serve.
To serve:
Fill a glass with ice.
Add sangria to glass, filling ¾ full.
Top with a splash of ginger ale.
Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cocktail
- Calories: 148
- Sugar: 9.5 g
- Sodium: 14.2 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.5 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Dina Miller says
We served these last night and our friends loved them!!
Katy McAvoy says
Yay! I'm so happy to hear that! 🙂