Perfect Thanksgiving Sangria
This festive, refreshing Thanksgiving sangria is basically fall in a glass. Crisp white wine, fresh apple cider, apple butter get loaded up with apples, pears, pomegranate and a hint of cinnamon, then topped with bubbly ginger beer. It’s the PERFECT cocktail for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving or fall dinner parties. Make it ahead and you’ve got one less thing to worry about when hosting!
It’s giving peak fall vibes, y’all.
Listen, when it comes to holiday hosting, heck, any hosting, I have a minor love affair with sangria.
For me, it is THE prep-ahead cocktail. One of the only cocktails that’s actually best when prepped ahead. When you have a million things on your hosting to-do list, that is a major win. We’ve got all the fall flavors floating around here – apples, pears, pomegranate, orange, ginger, cinnamon.
There are a few things that I think take this from good to stellar: 1) fresh apple cider (not juice!), 2) apple butter for sweetness and depth and 3) ginger beer for a sparkling, spicy finish. If you’re not a fan of ginger beer, ginger ale or sparkling water works great too.
And don’t spend too much time spiraling on which wine to use, we’re adding LOTS of fun flavors, so just grab any bottle of crisp white and do ‘er up!
My daughters found me photographing this recipe and immediately wanted a glass – oop. So stay tuned for how I made them their own fall sangria mocktail!
What You’ll Need to Make this Thanksgiving Sangria:
- Fresh fruit: I like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp apples for their crisp texture, plus a pear and optional pomegranate seeds. Fresh cranberries would be another good option.
- Cinnamon sticks: These add warm fall flavor without overpowering the sangria.
- Apple cider: Using fresh apple cider instead of apple juice makes a HUGE difference. Pear cider would also be delicious!
- Brandy or Grand Marnier: Apple brandy is great for a more traditional sangria, but I prefer the citrusy flavor of Grand Marnier. Another orange liqueur like Triple sec works too!
- Apple butter: My little secret weapon for sweetness and depth. If you don’t have it, you can substitute pumpkin butter, fig jam or a few tablespoons of brown sugar or maple syrup.
- White wine: I recommend a crisp, dry white wine like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. No need to splurge!
- Something bubbly: I looove ginger beer for its spicy kick. Use ginger ale for a sweeter, milder ginger flavor or sparkling water for a lighter, less sweet option.
How to Make the Perfect Thanksgiving Sangria:
Add the chopped apple, pear, pomegranate arils and cinnamon sticks to a large pitcher. Pour in the brandy or Grand Marnier.
Pour in the bottle of white wine, fresh apple cider, and apple butter.
Give it a good stir to combine everything. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but ideally overnight. This gives the fruit and cinnamon plenty of time to infuse into the sangria.
When you’re ready to serve, fill a wine glass with ice and spoon in some of the soaked fruit.
Fill the glass about ¾ of the way with sangria, then top with a splash of ginger beer, ginger ale or sparkling water.
FAQs
Yes, and you should! This is one of those drinks that gets better as it sits. Make the sangria at least 4 hours ahead, but overnight is even better. Add the ginger beer, ginger ale or sparkling water to each glass right before serving.
Absolutely! I prefer a crisp white wine with the apple cider and fall fruits, but a fruitier, sweet red wine like Pinot Noir would work too.
Yes. Swap the wine for white grape juice or a non-alcoholic wine, and skip the brandy/Grand Marnier or sub orange juice.
CHEERS to good food, good company and a pitcher of REALLY good sangria! đŸ¥‚
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Perfect Thanksgiving Sangria
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: N/A
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Category: Beverage, Cocktails
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
The ultimate make-ahead fall cocktail! This Thanksgiving sangria combines crisp white wine, fresh apple cider, apple butter and fresh fruit with a bubbly ginger beer finish.
Ingredients
- 1 apple, chopped
- 1 pear, chopped
- pomegranate arils, optional
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 cups fresh apple cider
- ½ cup brandy or Grand Marnier
- ½ cup apple butter
- 1 bottle Pinot Grigrio or Sauvignon Blanc
- ginger beer, ginger ale or sparkling water, for topping
Instructions
- In a large pitcher combine 1 chopped apple, 1 chopped pear, pomegranate arils and 2 cinnamon sticks.
- Add 2 cups fresh apple cider, ½ cup brandy or grand marnier, ½ cup apple butter and 1 bottle of your favorite white wine. Stir well to combine. Let sit for at least 4 hours, but ideally overnight, before serving.
- When ready to serve, fill a wine glass with ice, use a spoon to add some soaked fruit to the glass and fill ¾ of the way with sangria. Top off the glass with ginger beer (my fave), ginger ale (for more sweet/less ginger flavor) or sparkling water (for no ginger flavor, less sweet).Cheers and happy fall!
Notes
Apple cider: Friends, I do really recommend this with cider, not juice. Could you make it with juice? Yes, but it’s really so good with fresh cider. Pear cider would also be amazing!
Brandy thoughts: Sangria is more traditionally made with brandy but I’m not really a brandy gal, so I prefer to make this with Grand Marnier!
Apple butter: If you can’t find apple butter, try pumpkin butter, fig jam or a few tablespoons of brown sugar or honey for sweetness and depth!
Refer to the above blog post for ingredient information, step-by-step instructions and answers to frequently asked questions.
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 6oz glass of sangria (with Grand Marnier and ginger beer)
- Calories: 208
- Sugar: 19.3 g
- Sodium: 10.1 mg
- Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 28.2 g
- Fiber: 1.9 g
- Protein: 0.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
