Ginger Apple Cider Sangria

The perfect fall inspired cocktail to celebrate the weekend. It’s made with Sutter Home’s rich and creamy Chardonnay, mixed with bourbon for a nutty, bold kick, apple cider for that crisp apple taste, maple syrup & cinnamon to amp up those fall flavors, and finally ginger beer for a fizzy finish. 

I’ve partnered with my friend’s at Sutter Home Wine’s again to bring you this delicious, sweet and tart, perfectly spiced, ginger apple cider sangria sangria.

At our local Farmer’s Market during Fall, you can always find an abundance of apples and apple flavored products. I’m talking apple cider donuts, apple cider, fresh apples in all kinds of varieties, apple scones, and so much more. It’s an apple paradise….

which is perfect for me because I happen to LOVE apples. I eat an apple and peanut butter just about every day for an afternoon snack. I mean they do so an apple a day keeps the Dr. away…..amiright?!

I am a bit picky when it comes to the kind of apples I like. My  favorite varietal, no questions asked, is…..drum roll…..honey crisp.

They are perfectly crisp, hence the name, a little tart, but also nice and sweet. They are basically perfect. Fall is the one time of year you can find them in abundance and at a reasonable price.

The fresh honey crisp apples and homemade apple cider I found last weekend at the Farmer’s Market inspired this new recipe. I knew both would pair wonderfully with Sutter Home’s rich and creamy Chardonnay to the create the perfect Autumn sangria.

Let’s get to crafting this cocktail! 

I think there are 4 main components to a good sangria: a delicious wine for the base, a little extra booze for a kick, some sort of juice to add a little sweetness and marry all the flavors together, and extra flavoring to make the drink pop.

We have all 4 things in this ginger apple cider sangria!

First, we have the base, our Sutter Home’s chardonnay. I decided to go in a white sangria route because I knew the the crisp apple flavor in the Chardonnay would pair perfectly with the apple cider and Fall spices.

To start making the sangria, pour one bottle of the Chardonnay in a large pitcher. Next add our second component, a little bit of bourbon. Bourbon is one of my favorites.  It has this nice, nutty, bold, rich flavor, which will help warm your soul during the cold months. It works great in this sangria because bourbon and apples play nicely together.

On to our third component, a flavorful juice. This is where the apple cider comes in to play. Apple cider is different than apple juice. It has a much richer, strong apple flavor and notes of cinnamon and Fall spices. It helps add apple flavor to the sangria while also making it a marrying the bourbon and chardonnay to make it a harmonious drink.

I also think you need to right balance of juice. Too little and you cannot taste it. Too much and it overpowers the other components. I found a cup and a half worked perfectly where you got the apple cider flavor but can still pick up notes of the chardonnay and bourbon.

Now our supporting casts comes into play. To add extra flavor and make this drink sing, I added cinnamon sticks, a touch of pure maple syrup, and fresh squeezed orange juice. These flavors are synonymous with Fall and make it truly feel like an autumn sangria.

Finally, add in your favorite fruit to the sangria for garnish and flavor. I chose apples, of course, oranges, and pear slices.

Oh, I forgot one last tip for making a great sangria. It’s best to make it hours or even the day before serving so all the flavors can meld together and the cinnamon sticks, or whatever extra flavoring you used, can impart its flavor.

Time to serve up this drink!

For the glasses, rim the top with a coconut sugar cinnamon mix. Add in a few ice cubes. Pour in the apple cider sangria. And finally top with ginger beer and garnish with an apple and cinnamon stick. The ginger beer provides that zing of ginger and a little fizzy pop!

Serve and enjoy!

This cocktail is the perfect balance of sweet and tart, mellow and boozy, and rich and subtle apple/ginger flavors.

It’s great for holiday parties, tailgates, weekend get together – or really all Fall long!

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Ginger Apple Cider Sangria

Made with Sutter Home's rich and creamy Chardonnay as the base and mixed with bourbon for a nutty, bold kick, apple cider for that crisp apple taste, maple syrup & cinnamon to amp up those fall flavors, and finally ginger beer for a fizzy finish.

Course Drinks

Prep Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the Sangria

• 1 bottle Sutter Homes Chardonnay
• 1 1/2 cups Apple cider
• 1/2 cup bourbon
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• juice of one orange
• Fruit for garnish I used apples, pears, and oranges
• 1 cup ginger beer

For the rim

• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 orange wedge

Instructions

1. In a pitcher, add all of the ingredients, except the ginger beer. Stir until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Let sit in fridge for at least an hour to overnight. This allows for the ingredients to meld together and the cinnamon sticks to impart their flavor.
2. For the cinnamon sugar rim, mix together the cinnamon and sugar in a small wide mouth bowl. Use the orange wedge to wet the rim of the glass. Dip the rim of the glass into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Fill each glass with ice.

3. Pour sangria into each glass about 3/4 full, top with ginger beer, and garnish with an apple slice and cinnamon stick. 

4. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

**When ready to serve, you can add the ginger beer to the pitcher or you can also divide the sangria among your serving glasses and top with ginger beer (I recommend doing this if you do not plan to use all of the sangria in one sitting).

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