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November 19, 2022

Thanksgiving Sangria | Delicious Fall Cocktail

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A large glass pitcher filled with Thanksgiving sangria recipe and fresh fruit chunks.

DELICIOUS THANKSGIVING SANGRIA

This Thanksgiving sangria recipe is the perfect Fall cocktail you and your guests will rave about! This quick and easy holiday recipe is basically everything you love about Fall and the holiday season in a frosty pitcher!

With the holiday season just weeks away, we’re ushering in the new season with one of your all-time favorite Fall cocktails – Thanksgiving Sangria. 

This apple cider sangria recipe is loaded with fresh fruit including crisp apples, orange slices, apple cider, pear chunks, white wine, cinnamon sticks, brandy and more!  It’s basically candy in a glass.   

What we love about this holiday cocktail recipe is how easy and versatile it is.  Below, we are sharing a number of variations you can choose to suit your taste buds! Bonus, it can be made in advance, too!

This delicious Thanksgiving sangria recipe will include the following topics. Feel free to use these links to navigate this post.

THANKSGIVING SANGRIA ESSENTIALS

A large Crate and Barrel glass pitcher for apple cider sangria recipe.

THANKSGIVING SANGRIA INGREDIENTS

WHITE WINE

While we love a good red wine sangria, this apple cider sangria recipe pairs perfectly with a crisp white wine. If possible, choose a wine with fruit notes to really add to the sangria flavor profile. We are covering a few of our favorite white wines below.

FRESH FRUIT

Fresh fruits such as pears, crisp apples, grapes not only help this wine sangria taste alive, but they also add confetti of great colors to this Thanksgiving cocktail. Other fresh fruit options include pomegranate, cranberries, and more!

BRANDY

If you are looking to add a bit more flavor and increase the alcohol content of your Thanksgiving sangria, consider adding an orange liqueur like Brandy, Cointreau or Triple Sec. Brandy or Cointreau will also help round out the flavors in the sangria.

Instead of brandy, why not try making Thanksgiving Sangria with whiskey or rum?

Also, if you’re looking for a less expensive Thanksgiving sangria recipe option then consider trying this apple cider Thanksgiving punch! Similar to Thanksgiving sangria, Thanksgiving punch is a Thanksgiving cocktail that is also made with apple cider.

FRESH SQUEEZED LEMON & ORANGE JUICE

Adding lemon juice and orange juice to your sangria recipe help add natural sweeteners and increase the flavor profile. When possible, be sure to use fresh-squeezed juice as opposed to bottled or concentrate. A splash of cranberry juice is also tasty.

MAPLE SYRUP (optional)

Adding maple syrup is optional in this Fall sangria recipe. However, similar to the fresh-squeezed orange and lemon juice, the maple syrup help cancel out some of the acidity and increase natural sweetener. You can also use simple syrup or cinnamon syrup if preferred.

CLUB SODA (optional)

Similar to maple syrup, adding a club soda topper is optional. We typically add without using club soda which still makes this sangria recipe really delicious.

A large bottle of Christian Brothers Brandy and Cupcake Pinot Grigio wine for Thanksgiving sangria.

HOW TO MAKE THANKSGIVING SANGRIA

To make your apple cider sangria recipe, start by peeling and dicing up all your fresh fruits. We decided to use oranges, apples, and pears for this Thanksgiving sangria recipe.

Next, add all remaining Thanksgiving sangria ingredients to a pitcher and stir to combine: apple cider, white wine of choice (or substitute with vodka), brandy or Cointreau, fresh-squeezed orange juice and lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, and optional maple syrup.  

This drink recipe will make about 4-8 cocktails depending on the size of your serving glass.  I love doubling this up and serving in a punch bowl when we are entertaining more guests.  

If you’re interested in making this drink recipe a mocktail, simply omit the brandy, wine (or use non-alcoholic wine or sparkling wine), and double the apple cider.  It makes for a delicious treat for the kids, too!  

If you like a little fizz, you can also top with club soda once you’re ready to serve.  

Also, I recommend giving this sangria recipe a taste before refrigerating.  Want it stronger?  Feel free to add a bit more brandy.  Prefer more of an apple cider taste?  Feel free to add more!  Regardless, this cocktail will taste great!  

A large glass pitcher filled with orange slices and apple chunks for apple cider sangria.

WHAT TYPE OF WINE SHOULD I USE IN FALL SANGRIA?

When possible, we try and stay away from using a very oaky chardonnay or other heavier wines. Instead, we prefer to use crisp white wines such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. Be sure to avoid wines that are overly sweet or low quality.

LOOKING FOR AFFORDABLE WHITE WINES? HERE ARE OUR FAVORITES UNDER $15

WHAT ARE THE BEST FRUITS TO USE IN SANGRIA?

Similar to the wine you choose, you can almost never go wrong with any fruit you choose to include in your sangria recipe.  

What we love about Thanksgiving sangria is you can change the fruit you include with the seasons.  For this recipe, we chose to use orange slices, fresh cranberries (you can also use frozen cranberries), and lime slices.  

Here are just a few of our other favorite fruits to include in sangria: 

  • Apple slices or apple chunks (we love using Granny Smith Apples) 
  • Pears 
  • Raspberries 
  • Cherries 
  • Blueberries 
  • Peaches
  • Pineapple
  • Pomegranate Arils
A large pitcher filled with Thanksgiving sagria and fruit chunks.

HOW SHOULD I SERVE SANGRIA?

Thanksgiving sangria is one of our favorite holiday cocktail recipes.  It’s one of the best Fall cocktails to serve for family holiday gatherings, Thanksgiving, Christmas dinner, office Christmas parties, and more!  

With that said, we recommend serving in a punch bowl for larger gatherings (we use this 10-piece punch bowl set all the time).

If not, apple cider sangria can be served in a drink pitcher with stemless wine glasses. If you’re planning to sip that sangria all day (or save it in your fridge for the whole weekend), opt for a punch dispenser.

HOW LONG WILL SANGRIA LAST?

When kept in the refrigerator, this festive drink will keep for about three to four days before it becomes stale or odd-tasting.

Did you know you can also freeze your sangria recipe?  When kept in the freezer, the cocktail will last for 3 months approximately.

CAN I MAKE THANKSGIVING SANGRIA IN ADVANCE?

Yes! Thanksgiving sangria is actually a perfect Thanksgiving cocktail to make ahead of time. We recommend the following steps:

1) Follow all Thanksgiving sangria recipes above and combine ingredients in a pitcher or punch bowl.

2) Cover Thanksgiving sangria and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

3) When ready to serve, top off with club soda. However, be sure to wait until right before serving because club soda will cause the sangria to lose its fizz over time!

WHAT KIND OF APPLE CIDER IS BEST FOR APPLE CIDER SANGRIA?

For this recipe, we used Trader Joe’s 100% Unfiltered Apple Juice. The unfiltered apple juice adds more body and flavor to the tangy apple sangria drink.

LOOKING FOR OTHER DELICIOUS FALL COCKTAIL RECIPES? HERE ARE JUST A FEW OF OUR FAVORITES:

A small drinking glass filled with fruit chunks and Thanksgiving sangria.
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A large glass pitcher filled with Thanksgiving sangria recipe and fresh fruit chunks.

Thanksgiving Sangria | Delicious Fall Cocktail

4 from 66 votes
Looking for the perfect Thanksgiving cocktail recipe? Look no further than Thanksgiving sangria with apple cider. Recipe details inside!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 bottle white wine
  • 1/2 cup brandy
  • 1 1/2 cups apple cider
  • 1 apple, chopped into cubes
  • 1 pear, chopped into cubes
  • 1 orange, sliced
  • 1 orange, juiced
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 2-4 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions:

  • Start by peeling and dicing up all your fresh fruits and add to a large pitcher or punch bowl.
  • Next, add all remaining Thanksgiving sangria ingredients to a pitcher and stir to combine: apple cider, white wine of choice (or substitute with vodka), brandy or Cointreau, fresh-squeezed orange juice and lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, and optional maple syrup.  
  • Top with club soda, if preferred. Serve over ice and enjoy!

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