Entertaining – Page 2

Castelvetrano Olive Tapenade

This green olive tapenade is made with buttery Castelvetrano olives, loads of fresh herbs, lemon zest, garlic, and Aleppo chili flakes bathed in extra virgin olive oil. Your focaccia bread will thank you.

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This is the best focaccia bread recipe we’ve ever tried! Golden and airy with a crispy bottom, topped with flaky sea salt and rosemary. Recipe from Alexandra’s Kitchen!

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Apple Cider Sangria

Here’s the ideal fall cocktail: apple cider sangria! This cozy drink pairs apple cider with red wine, orange and cinnamon.…

Here’s the ideal fall cocktail: apple cider sangria! This cozy drink pairs apple cider with red wine, orange and cinnamon. You’ll be amazed by how it tastes cozy and refreshing all at once.

Why we love this recipe

When the air gets a chill and you start pulling on chunky knit sweaters…guess what? You don’t have to stop drinking sangria! Yes, red sangria and white sangria are usually reserved for summer months. But there are creative spins on this Spanish drink so that you can drink it all year long.

Try this apple cider sangria! It pairs the cozy flavors of fall with dry red wine to make a Spanish-style autumnal spin on this drink. Add a hint of apple cider, and it’s a flavor-packed drink that is the best for fall parties!

Ingredients for apple cider sangria

This apple cider sangria is not a traditional Spanish recipe—it simply takes elements of the classic way to make this drink. I lived in Spain in university and in the process fell in love with its cuisine. I fully believe in the traditional Spanish way to make sangria: American versions are much too sweet!

Sangría is a wine punch that originates from Spain. The classic version is made with red wine and chopped fruit, and often orange juice or brandy. In Spain white sangria is also popular, and there are a myriad of other not-so-traditional spins like rosé sangria, watermelon sangria, etc. This apple cider sangria is a creative variation, but it’s solidly inspired by the Spanish way to make it. Here are the ingredients in this apple cider sangria:

Fruit: apple, pear, orange
Sugar
Cinnamon
Dry red wine
Apple cider or sparkling apple cider

Best wine to use for apple cider sangria

All you need is a bottle of dry red wine for this apple cider sangria! Any dry red will do, of course! Some of the best varietals for this type of sangria are:

Rioja Tempranillo
Garnacha (Grenache grown in Spain)
Malbec
Pinot Noir

How to make sangria…the Spanish way

The way we make all of our sangria recipes is a method is inspired by our favorite Spanish chef, Jose Andres. Chef Andres is from Spain and started many successful restaurants here in the US. The “Spanish” way to make this apple cider sangria is this:

Macerate fruit for 1 hour: Mix the sangria fruit with sugar and cinnamon, and let it stand at room temperature and break down. This helps the fruit flavors permeate the wine even more.
Add liquids: Add the red wine.
Serve with apple cider: When serving, pour half the glass with apple cider and half with the red wine mixture.

Variation: sparkling apple cider

There’s a non-Spanish spin to this apple cider sangria, but it’s a tasty way to enhance the cider flavor! Here’s what to know:

Pour half of the glass cider, then half red wine (or mix in a pitcher!). This makes for a beautiful two-toned drink. If you’re serving for a crowd, you can simply combine the cider with the red wine in a large pitcher.
Sparkling apple cider adds lightness and bubbles. It’s traditional in Spain to serve sangria with soda water: sparkling apple cider mimics the fizziness.

Don’t forget to eat the fruit

A fun part about this apple cider sangria is that you don’t have to let the fruit go to waste! When you serve it, you can also provide skewers for your guests. Then you can eat the wine-soaked fruit from your drink using the skewers! It’s a nice “dessert” or palate refresher after a meal.

More sangria variations

There are lots of types of sangria outside of this apple cider sangria: one for every occasion and season! Here are some of our favorites:

Classic: Red Sangria and White Sangria Crisp and refreshing, here are the traditional Spanish ways to make these classic flavors.
Summer: Rose Sangria, Strawberry Sangria, Watermelon Sangria and Easy Peach Sangria are light and fruity: perfect for summer!
Frozen: It’s like the smoothie form of this boozy drink! Try Frozen Sangria.

Red Sangria

Apple Sangria

Fall Sangria Recipe

8 Easy Sangria Recipes

More fall drinks

Go for Mulled Wine, Mulled Cider or Hot Apple Cider to keep things warm and cozy. Or try our Apple Cider Bourbon Cocktail or Apple Cider Mimosa for cocktails with an apple cider spin. See all of our fall drinks, here!

Dietary notes

This apple cider sangria recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.

Frequently asked questions

What kind of apples should I use for my apple cider sangria?

Any crisp eating apple will work beautifully! Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, and Granny Smith are all great choices. You can even use a mix of varieties for more complex flavor.

What are some good garnishes for apple cider sangria?

Cinnamon sticks are a classic choice! Star anise, thin apple slices, and fresh cranberries also make lovely garnishes.

Can I use a different type of wine?

You can use a dry white wine like Pinot Grigio if you prefer, you can use other whites like Sauvignon Blanc or even a dry rosé. Just avoid anything too sweet, as the apple cider already adds sweetness.

Apple Cider Sangria

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Author: Sonja Overhiser
Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield: 10

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Description

Here’s the ideal fall cocktail: apple cider sangria! This cozy drink pairs apple cider with red wine, orange and cinnamon.

Ingredients

1 apple
1 pear
1/2 orange
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 750 ml bottle dry red wine, such as Rioja
1 750 ml bottle sparkling cider or apple cider
Optional garnishes: Cinnamon stick, rosemary sprig, remaining orange slices

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Instructions

Thinly slice the apple, pear, and orange. Place them into a medium bowl and stir in the sugar and cinnamon. Transfer to a large pitcher. Allow to stand for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
Pour in the red wine. Stir and refrigerate for 1 hour, or as long as 4 hours. (Don’t go beyond 4 hours or the fruit texture starts to degrade.)
To serve, fill a glass with ice. Fill halfway with sparkling apple cider or apple cider, then halfway with red wine mixture (or you can pour them both together in a pitcher). Garnish with cinnamon stick, rosemary or orange slices. When you’ve polished off the sangria, you can snack on the sweetened fruit.

Category: Drink
Method: Stirred
Cuisine: Cocktail
Diet: Vegan

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Why we love this recipe

Looking for a fun cocktail as a signature drink for your next gathering? Try a Pomegranate Martini! Crisp, sweet tart, fruity, and light: it’s much closer to a Cosmo than the classic martini. But instead of cranberry juice like the Cosmopolitan, it’s made with pomegranate juice instead.

Serve it up in a martini glass and you’ve got a sophisticated cocktail that’s refreshing and easy to drink. Here’s how to make it!

What’s in a pomegranate martini?

This pomegranate martini can be considered a spin on the classic martini: except that it’s closer to a Cosmopolitan! Both the Cosmo and the martini have official definitions on the list of International Bartender Association’s IBA official cocktails. But this pomegranate martini spin is off-script! It’s got vodka like a vodka martini, but it’s really more of a sour cocktail than anything. Here are the ingredients in a pomegranate martini:

Vodka
Pomegranate juice (purchased or fresh squeezed)
Cointreau
Lemon juice
Simple syrup

How to make a pomegranate martini (basic steps)

It’s very simple to make a pomegranate martini! All you’ll need is a cocktail shaker and a martini glass. Here are the basic steps (or jump to the recipe):

Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake for 15 seconds until cold.
Strain into a glass.
Garnish with a lemon peel: see below for what to do with it!

How to express citrus into a cocktail

For this pomegranate martini, you’ll do something that’s common in cocktails: expressing a citrus peel onto the drink. Why? This gives you a strong citrus perfume when you go to take a sip of the drink. Here’s what you’ll do:

Use a knife to remove a 1″ wide strip of the lemon peel.
Squeeze it over the drink first, which releases the oils and gives it a strong lemon perfume.
To amp it up a notch, run the lemon peel around the rim of the glass. This gives an even more citrus-y first sip.

You’ll notice this technique is used in lots of classic cocktails to add an extra sensory element, like the Classic Old Fashioned and Boulevardier Cocktail.

About Cointreau

Cointreau is an orange liqueur with a beautiful orange perfume flavor. Cointreau is a type of triple sec, which means “triple distilled.” But it’s technically a higher quality than a Triple Sec, with a more robust and balanced flavor. It’s most well known for being used in cocktails like the Classic Margarita. If you buy a bottle, you’ll have lots to make with it: all our Best Margarita Recipes and these Best Cointreau Drinks.

If you don’t have a bottle of Cointreau for this pomegranate martini, you can substitute any orange liqueur. You could try Triple Sec, or a higher end liqueur like Grand Marnier.

There are several drinks that are similar to the pomegranate martini, like other pink cocktails, vodka martinis, and sour cocktails! Here are it’s closest relatives:

The Cosmopolitan Cocktail is like a pomegranate martini but uses cranberry juice. It’s also often garnished with lime.
The Lemon Drop Martini is another type of martini made with vodka and lemon! It’s also technically a sour cocktail instead of a martini.
The French Martini is perfectly balanced with vodka, pineapple juice, and raspberry liqueur.
A Watermelon Martini is a fruity vodka cocktail starring watermelon and lime.

Cosmopolitan Cocktail

Lemon Drop Martini

French Martini

20 Best Types of Martinis