Apple Cider Bourbon Sangria

Family gatherings call for the easy button, and this Apple Cider Bourbon Sangria is the perfect big batch cocktail for your next holiday shindig! We take a super simple combination of apple cider, white wine, and bourbon, and garnish it with real cinnamon sticks and thinly sliced apples to make this pitcher friendly cocktail taste AND look like fall in a cup.

We just love to plan a good party over here at Fed + Fit! Taking a special occasion (like Thanksgiving!) and carefully crafting a menu from start to finish that not only tastes delicious but also looks amazing is one of THE MOST satisfying accomplishments. It’s not just about the food, it’s also about coordinating an experience that’s equal parts relaxing, fun, and just filled with good company. You know the one we’re talking about – the perfect music on in the background, signature cocktails in hand, tasteful decorations, and everyone getting along just like in the movies (is that too much to ask?!).

Regardless of whether or not Aunt Pam is currently speaking to Cousin Fanny, you can rest assured that if all else fails, this Apple Cider Bourbon Sangria will be the one thing that saves your party! It’s fool-proof, delightfully boozy, and so pretty that it doubles as part of your holiday table scene. This snazzy libation can be thrown together quickly, BUT it tastes best when the flavors of the alcohols and cider are allowed to marinate, and the apple slices and cinnamon sticks are given ample time to steep into the liquid. We recommend mixing it all together at least 4 hours ahead of time, or overnight, for the best taste!

While we’re talking Thanksgiving, let’s talk about traditions! We all have our favorite dishes, but food traditions aside, what do you and your family do to create an attitude of gratitude around this special holiday? For us, this day is about feasting, friendship, and thankfulness for what we’ve been given as we reflect on the previous year. It’s also about starting to look ahead to to the new year and all of the possibilities it may hold.

One of our favorite games/traditions to do every year at Thanksgiving is to go around our tables and voice out loud two different expressions of gratitude. The first thing we speak about is what we’re thankful for from the previous year (this year, we have a lot to be thankful for!), and THEN, we speak about one thing we’re thankful for in the upcoming year. It may seem strange to give thanks for something that hasn’t yet happened, but this is one of the most powerful mindset tools you can have that will not only help you actualize the thing you’re hoping for that hasn’t yet happened, but it will also help you live more solidly in an attitude of gratitude in your daily life (not just for one day a year). Gratitude and anxiety have a really hard time existing together, so whenever possible, challenging our ways of thinking by expressing gratitude, even for things that haven’t yet occurred, is a way to break old patterns, and choose joy as a habit. There is so much power in the words we use, and speaking them out loud is a way to not only ask for what we want, but to practice choosing our words carefully.  It’s amazing stuff, and I hope you try it!

Tell us, what are some of your favorite Thanksgiving traditions, we’d love to know!

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Apple Cider Bourbon Sangria

By: Jess Gaertner

4.6 — Votes 5 votes

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Prep Time: 9 hrs 23 mins

This Apple Cider Bourbon Sangria is the perfect big-batch cocktail for your next holiday gathering!

Ingredients  

• ▢ 2 cups apple cider
• ▢ 1 bottle white wine a dry pinot grigio works great here
• ▢ 1/2 cup bourbon
• ▢ 1 apple thinly sliced through the core
• ▢ 3-4 whole cinnamon sticks

Instructions

• Pour all of your liquids into a large serving pitcher, and stir gently to combine.
• Add your apple slices and cinnamon sticks to the pitcher, then allow it to sit, refrigerated, for up to 4 hours (overnight preferred) to steep the apples and cinnamon for maximum flavor.
• Pour over ice into individual cups when ready to serve, and garnish with apple slices and cinnamon sticks if desired.