Red Apple Cider Sangria

Relax this October with Red Apple Cider Sangria – the perfect Halloween sangria made with red wine, apples, apple cider, and cinnamon. Make a pitcher ahead of time and serve straight from the fridge.

What kind of Halloween person are you?

Are you all about guts, haunted houses, and scary movies?

Or are you a wimp like me and much prefer cutesy, like my Halloween popcorn and rice krispie pumpkins?

This Red Apple Cider Sangria is probably as gory as I’ll get because it’s red like blood which is often associated with vampires and zombies.

I came up with this Halloween sangria with apples because this is the time of year when I’m drowning in apples and apple cider from a local apple festival.

Usually when I pick apples, I’m making mini apple pies. But every great food needs a great drink.

Now there are two ways you can serve your apple cider sangria: at a Halloween party or on the couch while watching Halloween movies.

Usually I prefer the latter, but sometimes you find yourself throwing a party with friends. Or perhaps your adult children came home to visit for the weekend.

What I love about sangria with apple cider is you stir everything together in a pitcher and chill overnight, meaning you can easily make this drink recipe ahead of time and not stress yourself out for the holiday.

Totally hands off once you spend 15 minutes prepping the ingredients.

What is sangria?

Sangria is a wine-based cocktail mixed with fruit and another liquid, usually another liqueur or juice if you don’t want to add extra alcohol.

I’ve made several summer sangria recipes in the past with different fruit – strawberry sangria, peach sangria, and watermelon sangria.

Now it’s time for a fall sangria.

Ingredients For Apple Cider Sangria

To make your Halloween sangria, gather the following ingredients:

• Water: Dissolves the sugar to make the simple syrup
• Sugar: Used to make the simple syrup
• Cinnamon and nutmeg: Spices to flavor your sangria
• Red wine: I used Cabernet Sauvignon, but any similar red wine such as Merlot would work too.
• Apple cider: Make sure it’s the drinking kind and not the vinegar kind.
• Apples: Use a snacking apple such as honey crisp or gala
• Orange: Helps balance all the sweetness with some acidity

Not a fan of apples? Another red sangria you can make for Halloween is my cranberry sangria.

How To Make Apple Cider Sangria

Making your apple cider sangria recipe is super easy! All you have to do is boil water then combine everything in a pitcher, like this:

1. Whisk together the water, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Mix together the red wine, apple cider, sugar syrup, apple s, orange slices, and cinnamon stick in a large pitcher.
3. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, before serving.

The flavors of sangria need time to develop, so it’s the perfect recipe to make ahead of time. Refrigerate for up to 3-5 days.

How To Make Small Batch Sangria

If you’re here for my small batch recipes, you’re probably thinking to yourself “I can’t drink a whole pitcher of sangria!”

Luckily for us, this apple cider sangria recipe can last all week in the fridge. After a long day of work, pour yourself a glass to enjoy while you wind down for the evening.

Still too much? Cut the recipe in half and buy mini wine bottles so you don’t have to open a big bottle.

Apple Cider Recipes

Enjoyed this sangria with cider? Check out my other recipes using apple cider:

• Apple Cider Ice Cream
• Apple Pancakes
• Apple Cider Cinnamon Rolls

First published October 5, 2015