Apple Cider Sangria with White Wine

This easy and refreshing Apple Cider Sangria is packed with fresh apples and spiced with warming cinnamon sticks! Add a bit of brandy to your white wine sangria and you’ve got the perfect autumn cocktail!

Last week brought rainstorms and crisp breezes — ideal weather to cozy up with a glass of Harvest Apple Sangria! And with apple season in full swing, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to add a few fresh honeycrisps to this boozy drink. While the sunshine has already returned, this Apple Cider Sangria is something I know I’ll be making when the cooler weather returns and the colors begin to change! 

Key ingredients

• White wine: I generally go with Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, but don’t let that limit you! If your favorite white wine is a bit sweeter, it should still work nicely with this recipe. And there’s no need to go for a super expensive bottle of wine — a budget-friendly white will definitely do the trick!
• Apple cider: Fresh apple cider gives the sangria the best flavor, but shelf-stable apple cider will work in a pinch.
• Brandy: I use 1/4 cup (60 ml), but feel free to up that to 1/2 cup (120 ml) if you’d like it extra boozy.
• Fruit: I used apples, pears and oranges. For the apples, I opted for a combination of Honeycrisp and Granny Smith.
• Spices: Whole cinnamon sticks really bring the warmth in this autumn sangria. I also like to throw in a few star anise, but they are optional.

Recipe variations

Use sparkling apple cider. This will give your apple cider sangria a bubbly twist! To keep the carbonation, add the sparkling apple cider just before serving.

Add flavored brandy. Apple brandy, pear brandy and ginger brandy all make great additions to this apple cider sangria.

Stir in honey. Stirring a few tablespoons of honey into the pitcher adds a bit of extra sweetness to the sangria.

Step by step instructions

Sangria is one of the easiest drinks you can prepare for a crowd! You can make it in three easy steps.

Step 1: Prepare the fruit. Here you have several options: roughly chop everything into cubes, cut the fruit into wedges, or slice into rounds. I used a mixture of all three methods! While the rounds make for an incredibly pretty sangria, cubes and wedges are more practical for serving. 

Step 2: Mix everything together. In a large pitcher, add the prepared fruit and spices. Pour in the wine, cider and brandy and give everything a good stir.

Step 3: Wait while the flavors meld together. Place the apple cider sangria in the fridge for at least two hours and up to overnight. This gives the wine time to absorb the flavors of the fruit and spices.

Storage and make ahead

I recommend making this sangria the night before serving for best results. It gives the wine enough time to really absorb the flavors of the fruit and cinnamon, making for a cohesive sangria.

If I have leftovers that I want to store for more than a day, I remove the fruit and spices. Otherwise the fruit can get mushy and the spice flavor can be a bit too strong. You can store the sangria covered in the fridge for 3 days.

Expert tips and tricks

• Choose different types of apples. I always choose one red and one green for the most visually appealing sangria.
• Make a brown sugar rim. Rub an orange wedge around the rim of a glass or dip the glass in a bit of honey. Then dip the glass into a small dish of brown sugar!
• Adjust the sweetness to taste. Add a little honey, simple syrup or maple syrup if your sangria needs some extra sweetness.

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