Spiced apple cider sangria: A festive beverage that's bursting with fall flavours

This apple cider sangria — packed with fresh fruit and sweetened with a spiced simple syrup — is absolutely perfect for fall. It’s also a feast for the eyes and requires minimal effort to put together, which makes it a great choice for any festive gathering you have planned this season. 

For the best results, prepare the sangria a few hours ahead or even the night before — that way, the flavours have time to deepen and everything will be fully chilled when it’s time to serve.

Ingredients

• 2 cups apple cider, divided
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 10 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced
• 1 Honeycrisp apple, thinly sliced
• 1 orange, thinly sliced
• 1 blood orange, thinly sliced
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 (750 ml) bottle dry white wine or sparkling white wine, chilled
• ¼ cup brandy, optional

To serve:

• 1–2 cups club soda or sparkling water, chilled
• Apple slices, as desired
• Orange slices, as desired

Preparation

In a small saucepan, combine ½ cup of apple cider, the sugar, cardamom pods and ginger. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves. Continue to simmer for a few more minutes to allow the flavours to infuse. Remove the pan from the heat, and let the syrup cool completely. Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain the syrup into a jar and discard the solids. Set the syrup aside or, if you’re making it in advance, refrigerate up to 1 week (or 3 days if you omit the sugar).

In a large pitcher, add the apple slices, orange slices and lime juice. Pour in the syrup, remaining 1½ cups apple cider, white wine and brandy, if using. Stir well.

Cover the sangria and place it in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours to allow the flavours to develop.

When ready to serve, fill a glass two-thirds of the way with sangria. Top with club soda or sparkling water, and garnish with fruit slices as desired. Enjoy!

Serves 6 to 8

Produced in collaboration with CBC Creator Network.