It's the first week of September and there's already a hint of the crisp coolness of fall in the air. I'm not ready for summer to be over, but I'm also excited to enjoy the flavours and spices that come with the autumn season. This honeycrisp apple sangria is just the perfect thing for this transitional period.
Honeycrisp apples are in their prime right now. I combined them with a crisp and fruity chardonnay and an autumn spiced syrup. This delicious sangria is so good that it's enough to make you forget that winter is coming.
how to make honeycrisp apple sangria
You're going to start by making a spiced syrup so that we can get all of those tasty, autumn spices infused into the sangria without having to fish around scooping things out later. I used cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, ginger slices, sugar, and a star anise pod.
Add all of these to a saucepan that's just wide enough for the cinnamon sticks to lay flat. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Then reduce the heat to low and continue simmering for another five minutes. Stir it occasionally to prevent the sugar from burning.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, then remove and discard all of the spices except for the cinnamon sticks. You're going to want to reserve those for the sangria. Pour the spiced syrup into a bowl and let cool to room temperature.
While the syrup is cooling, you can start slicing your apples, pear, and orange. I like to have the sangria's liquid ingredients in the pitcher already, and add the fruit in as it is sliced so that it doesn't have any time to brown.
For liquor in this sangria I used a crisp and fruity, unoaked chardonnay, Cointreau (an orange liqueur), and a good quality brandy, which adds even more dimension to the flavour.
Combine the chardonnay, Cointreau, brandy, lemon juice, sliced fruit, spiced syrup, and reserved cinnamon sticks in the pitcher. Store it in the fridge at least eight hours for the flavours to fully assimilate. I left mine overnight.
Add some ice to your glasses, then fill them ¾ full of sangria (including some of that tasty, boozy-marinated fruit). Top the glasses off with sparkling water. Stir to blend.
Finish them off by garnishing them with star anise pods. This sangria is absolutely perfect for a get together because you can do all of the work the day before. Then just pour, pop a little star anise pod on top, and you have a stunning cocktail ready!
Not ready to let go of summer? Transport yourself right to a beach with Bahamas Rum Punch.
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Honeycrisp Apple Sangria
- Prep Time: 8 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 pitcher 1x
- Category: Drinks
- Cuisine: American
Description
The perfect end-of-summer/beginning-of-fall cocktail. Honeycrisp apples shine with chardonnay and a delicious spiced syrup.
Ingredients
Spiced Syrup:
¼ cup (59 ml) water
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1 star anise pod
2 cinnamon sticks
3 whole cloves
2 half-cm thick slices fresh ginger
Sangria:
750 ml unoaked Chardonnay (crisp & fruity)
¼ cup (59 ml) cointreau
¼ cup (59 ml) brandy
2 honeycrisp apples, sliced
1 mandarin orange, thinly sliced
1 bartlett pear, sliced
¼ cup (59 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
Serve with:
sparkling water
ice
Instructions
In a small saucepan, combine all spiced syrup ingredients. Bring them to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove saucepan from heat and allow to cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Strain the syrup into a bowl, reserve the cinnamon sticks, and discard the other spices.
Combine all of the sangria ingredients along with the spiced syrup and cinnamon sticks in a pitcher. Store it in the fridge for at least 8 hours (overnight).
Add some ice to the glasses. Fill them ¾ full with sangria, then top with a splash of sparkling water. Stir to blend and garnish with star anise pods.
Keywords: honeycrisp apple sangria
This is delicious! My boyfriend loved it too. Sangrias are no longer just for the summer.
Thanks! No, they are not 🙂
Still feels like fall here. Enjoyed very much this past weekend.
Thanks! We're finally getting some summer heat here
Crisp and fragrant.
Thanks! 🙂
Beautiful. Fall feels like it's here some days especially with these storms.
This was a great treat for a stormy day.
Thank you 🙂 Won't be long before it really is here
Was having fun trying different drinks for Thanksgiving day.. This HoneyCrisp Sangria got my vote.
Perfect pre-drink to a turkey dinner.
Great idea! I think I will plan the same things. Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Wow - this drink is awesome.
Thanks so much
I agree this sangria is the best taste of autumn.
Thanks April 🙂
Made this drink tonight. Really enjoyed.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I treated myself to this drink last night. Perfection. Will be making often and add to my Company's Coming file.
Thanks so much 🙂