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overhead apple cider sangria
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5 from 1 vote

Apple Cider Sangria

Celebrate all of your fall festivities with this Apple Cider Sangria! Made with apples, cinnamon, red wine, and citrus, it's fresh, spiced, boozy, and perfectly sweet. For the most flavorful drink, let the sangria sit for at least 3 hours to overnight before serving.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Resting Time3 hours
Total Time3 hours 40 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Jenné Claiborne

Ingredients

Apple Cinnamon Simple Syrup

  • 1 cup cane sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • peels and cores from 2-4 apples and pears (from the apples and pears used in the sangria)
  • 2 cinnamon sticks

Apple Cider Sangria

  • 1 green apple (such as Granny Smith) peeled, cored, and chopped (save core and peel for simple syrup)
  • 1 red apple (such as HoneyCrisp, Fuji, or Braeburn) peeled, cored, and chopped (save core and peel for simple syrup)
  • 1 Bosc pear gently ripe, cored and chopped (save core for simple syrup)
  • 1 gently ripe D'Anjou pear gently ripe, cored and chopped (save core for simple syrup)
  • 1/4 cup pomegranate arils (seeds) from about 1/2 medium pomegranate
  • 1/2 orange sliced (peel intact)
  • 1 bottle dry red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon
  • 1 1/2 cups apple cider
  • 1/2 cup brandy
  • 1/4 cup apple cinnamon syrup see recipe above

Instructions

Apple Cinnamon Simple Syrup

  • Add the cores and peels (reserving the chopped fruit for the sangria), 1 cup of cane sugar, 1 cup of water, and 2 cinnamon sticks in a small saucepan.
  • Stir well and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low or low heat. Simmer for 30 minutes or until reduced in half.
  • Remove the saucepan from the heat, strain the solids, and pour the simple syrup into a glass jar to cool. You can use it immediately in the sangria. The remaining sangria will thicken as it cools because of the pectin in the apple cores.

Apple Cider Sangria

  • Add the chopped apples and pears, pomegranate seeds, orange slices, red wine, apple cider, brandy, and apple cinnamon syrup to a large pitcher.
  • Using a long spoon, thoroughly stir the ingredients until combined. Let the sangria rest in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or up to overnight for the best taste.

Notes

Storage: Cover the pitcher with plastic wrap and refrigerate leftover cider sangria for 2-3 days. For longer storage, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-5 days.
Recipe Pro-Tips
  • Let it rest. For the best fall sangria, let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but up to overnight. This gives the mixture time to meld the flavors.
  • Save the cores and peels. One of the many things I love about this autumn sangria is how it efficiently uses food scraps! Save the apple peels and apple and pear cores for the simple syrup recipe. After simmering the syrup, add the cinnamon sticks to the pitcher to further flavor the drink!
  • Don't boil the syrup. Cook it over a low simmer, not a boil, for 30 minutes until reduced. If medium-low is too high of heat, reduce it to low.
  • Chill or add the syrup immediately. If making the apple simple syrup fresh for the red fall sangria, add 1/4 cup to the pitcher immediately after straining. Otherwise, the syrup can last covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It will thicken upon cooling. To loosen it, just warm it on the microwave on medium heat.

Nutrition

Calories: 296kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.05g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 189mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 69IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 0.3mg