White Wine Sangrias are fruity and lighter than their red counterparts but can still pack a potent punch. Try this Hard Apple Cider Sangria for your next event; with a variety of fruit options, it's good year round.
For all of the combinations I've put together over the years, the one thing I'm not crazy about is a red wine sangria; they are too often heavily spiced and too heavy for me. I love red wine but in a glass by itself. White sangria is a totally different story and I make them year round with white or sparkling wine. This year I decided to make a Hard Apple Cider Sangria and we loved it!
It complements fruit so well, eliminates some of the more dry qualities I don't love with whites and it can easily be changed up with different fruits and liqueurs. Don't mistake this for a fall sangria; it's really suitable all year round using a variety of season fruits in addition to the apple slices.
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For Hard Apple Cider Sangria, I add vodka to the hard apple cider along with sparkling wine. Absolut is a favorite mixer of mine; it's smooth, mixes well and has a great price point. I'm not as enamored of all of the available flavors, preferring to flavor my cocktails with real fruit and quite honestly not have to stock my bar with a dozen different flavors!
Hard Apple Cider Sangria is so variable. Spring can mean strawberries, blueberries, and other fresh berries, midsummer means the sky is unlimited with berries, peaches, plums, and more stone fruits. Head into fall with peaches and pears and of course the holidays don't have to be forgotten either, with blood oranges, pomegranate and cranberry on the list.
When it comes to the Hard Apple Cider, use your favorite brand; my choice is Stella Artois Cidre. It's a crisp and refreshing Belgian recipe cider made from handpicked apples. It's sophisticated too with full flavors of red apple & peachy apricots complimented by spicy oranges & flowery almonds. Clean, crisp, refreshing and wonderful in this cocktail.
As mentioned, I think apples are a necessity to complement the cider but beyond that use whatever is seasonal. I had a couple of peaches that I had frozen last summer, some oranges, a pear and raspberries in the fridge...so in they all went. If there is one downfall to a sangria, it's that it's meant for a crowd; I would love to make one of these just for me!
Make a batch of these for your family and friends; I know they'll love it...and Cheers!
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