Sangria is delicious year-round, but it’s also a tasty beverage to serve up during your fall get-togethers. It’s so simple to double (or triple) recipes to share with your guests! With warm flavors like cinnamon, apple and orange, this fall sangria is sure to be your next go-to cocktail!
Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. Here in Miami it’s still on the warm side, but you can start to notice less humidity in the air. We might not have leaves changing colors here, but it sure is fun to see everyone’s pictures! Not to mention it happens to be my birthday(!) month not to mention the flavors this time of year are delicious – apple, cinnamon, pear, maple, and more!
Enter sangria. To my knowledge traditional sangria is made with red wine, hence the name sangria, similar to sangre or blood. And while the history of sangria is a little bit mixed if you were to speak to a Spaniard, so the story goes, the water was unsafe to drink therefore they would mix the water with alcohol in order to kill off the bacteria. Safe to say the first sangrias were super watered down mixes of wine, water, herbs, and spices. During my travels in Spain each city had a different tasting sangria, so it was fun to try all the unique combinations. This leads me to my first attempt at making sangria!
Ingredients: Fall Sangria
- Wine – Red wine is probably the most traditional wine for sangria. However, white sangria can be delicious, too! In this recipe I used a Pinot Noir, however, I’ve also used a Tempranillo as well. The key is selecting a wine you’d like on its own.
- Liquor – Brandy is the most classic choice, and that’s what I used. I’ve also used a Grand Marnier or even Triple Sec.
- Fruit – When it comes to sangria fruit, I went with the fall theme and used apples. I used the orange to help with the cinnamon/sugar rim, but only used apples in the actual sangria. Feel free to play around with different fruits depending on the time of year. A few berries here, a lemon there—whatever you want to add or whatever tastes delicious to your own palate. Sangria is a wonderful that way.
- Sweetener – Sangria is on the sweeter side. Many recipes will use regular sugar, however, I decided to use apple cider to sweeten it up and really bring out the apple/fall flavor. Don’t be fooled apple cider is still added sugar. I just opted to not use any additional. If you do taste it and find that it needs more, start with just one tablespoon of maple syrup at first. Maple pairs well with the apple and will give that fall flavor we’re going for.
- Cinnamon – A little hint of warm spice to tie everything together is the key to a delicious pitcher of sangria.
How To Make Fall Sangria
Sangria may be known for beating the heat in the summertime, but it really can hit the spot all year round. Promise when I say that this is the perfect party drink that your guests will keep coming back for more! Good thing for you it’s easy to make double or triple so you have enough! This fall sangria recipe is so easy to make! Here’s how to make sangria from scratch:
- Chop the apples either in slices or dice them up in tiny pieces, whichever you prefer!
- Grab your favorite pitcher. A clear one is always nice for sangria so that everyone can see the fruit bobbing in the brandy-spiked wine.
- Pour in the wine, brandy, and apple cider, and maple syrup if using. Give everything a good stir.
- Add the cinnamon stick apple slices.
- Chill your sangria! Cover the pitcher and chill for at least an hour, although two hours is better. It’s even possible to leave in the fridge overnight, no longer than 2-3 days tops!
Other Apple Recipes
- Apple Pie Overnight Oats
- Cinnamon Skillet Apples
- Apple Pie Crumble (for two)
- Applesauce (Instant Pot)
Fall Sangria
Sangria is delicious year-round, but it’s also a tasty beverage to serve up during your fall get-togethers. It’s so simple to double (or triple) recipes to share with your guests! With warm flavors like cinnamon, apple and orange, this fall sangria is sure to be your next go-to cocktail!
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
- 1 (750 mL) bottle of Pinot Noir or Tempranillo
- 1/2 cup brandy or Grand Marnier
- 2 cups apple cider
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 3 apples, sliced or diced
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup, *if needed
- For the rim: 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 orange wedge
Instructions
- Mix. In a large pitcher, mix together the wine, brandy, apple cider and maple syrup (if using). Stir to combine.
- Add the cinnamon stick and apples. Give it another stir.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve, preferably 2 hours or more.
- Taste. Always taste before serving. If you find that it’s too sweet or strong for your liking, you can always add a little water or sparkling water (about 1/2 cup). Serve over ice and that will also help it find that perfect mix of strong, sweet, and delish!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 5
- Category: Drinks
1 thought on “Fall Sangria”
Years ago when I went to Spain I tried every city’s Sangria. Simply the best and so many different variations!