If you’re looking for a signature fall cocktail, Honeycrisp apple sangria is your answer. You’ll love the combination of red wine, brandy, cinnamon, cider, and sweet Honeycrisp apples—it’s THE drink to make this season. I recommend making this big-batch cocktail ahead of time, so the flavors have time to mingle before your guests do!
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips.
What IS it about Honeycrisp apples? If it’s not their explosive crunch that reels you in, it’s their unbeatably sweet, yet tart flavor—and all that juice. These juicy apples are the star of today’s sangria recipe. We’re combining all of our favorite fall flavors into one delicious cocktail.
Warning: this stuff disappears quickly.
One reader, Carol, commented: “Just made this recipe last evening for our Oktoberfest neighborhood party. Let it muddle overnight and I used plain old brandy, not flavored. The cinnamon stick gave it a great little spiced flavor. Loved it! ★★★★★”
One reader, Rebecca, commented: “I have made this 4 times over the last year so I figure it’s time to comment. I lovelovelove this recipe. I like to add extra orange slices, and I always use tempranillo for the wine. Thank you for this gem of a recipe! ★★★★★”
Reasons to Love Honeycrisp Apple Sangria
- Naturally sweet—no sugar or sweeteners needed
- Flavors of red wine, apple cider, citrus, cinnamon, and Honeycrisp apples in every sip
- Perfect make-ahead big-batch cocktail for when you’re hosting guests
- Wonderful drink for those crisp fall weekends, when the temperature has started to dip but you’re *not quite* ready for hot apple cider.
Key Ingredients You Need
- Apple Cider: Apple cider sweetens the sangria, so no additional sugar is needed. (The seasonal fresh unfiltered apple drink, not the alcoholic kind, and not the vinegar.) You can use homemade apple cider if you can’t find it in the store or at a farm market. And if you have leftovers, try my baked apple cider French toast for breakfast.
- Brandy, Orange Juice, & Lemon Juice: These are flavorful additions for a truly spectacular sangria. An apple brandy is fabulous here.
- Apple & Orange Slices: Tart, bright oranges are the perfect companion to sweet Honeycrisp apples.
- Cinnamon Sticks: When made without cinnamon sticks, I found that this apple sangria lacked the true fall flavor that only cinnamon can provide. Pick up a few extra cinnamon sticks as garnish. They come in handy if you’re making pumpkin coffee creamer, too.
- Club Soda: Add a touch of club soda right before serving. Club soda gives the Honeycrisp apple sangria a little fizz. Avoid sweetened carbonated drinks like 7-up, tonic, or Sprite, as these could make the sangria too sweet.
- Cinnamon-Sugar: For an optional garnish, dip the rim of each glass into a cinnamon-sugar mixture. It’s an extra step but it’s sparkly, sweet, and simple, and makes each glass look extra special.
Plus red wine: And, of course, you need red wine, which serves as the base of this sangria recipe. See below for some suggested varieties. If you prefer white wine, try this apple cider autumn sangria.
Best Red Wine for Seasonal Apple Sangria
What kind of red wine tastes best in this apple sangria? The wine you use doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive—you’re adding so many other flavors to it that you won’t be able to taste the finer nuances.
An affordable, light-bodied red table wine works great for sangria. A Spanish red such as tempranillo or garnacha is a classic choice, but I’ve also made this apple sangria with pinot noir, malbec, and various red blends. You simply want a red wine that’s fairly dry, light, and fruity.
Favorite Make-Ahead Fall Cocktail
The best part about sangria is that it’s the ultimate make-ahead cocktail. It’s supposed to be made ahead of time so the flavors can balance and the fruit can infuse its juices. I recommend keeping the sangria in the refrigerator for at least 6–8 hours (a full day is best!) before serving. The longer the sangria sits before drinking/serving, the better. I usually make it in the morning before I need it in the evening, but making it the night before yields incredible results.
NOTE: Add the club soda right before serving. If added ahead of time, the soda will lose its fizz. This addition will give the sangria a little pop and brighten everything up; the sangria tastes like it’s missing something without it.
Other Ways to Use Honeycrisp Apples
If you have extras on hand, try these recipes:
- Baked Apple Cider French Toast
- Skillet Apple Cider Chicken
- Fresh Apple Cake
- Apple Pie Bars (with salted caramel on top!)
- Brown Butter Apple Blondies
- Apple Pie
Honeycrisp Apple Red Sangria
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 6 hours
- Yield: 1.5 quarts; serves 6-8
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Description
You’ll love the combination of red wine, brandy, cinnamon, cider, and sweet Honeycrisp apples in this signature fall cocktail—it’s THE drink to make this season. I recommend making a pitcher ahead of time, so the flavors have time to mingle before your guests do! For a white wine version, try this apple cider autumn sangria.
Ingredients
- 3 cinnamon sticks, plus more for garnish
- 2 Honeycrisp apples, sliced in 1/4-inch slices (about 2.5 cups slices)
- 1 orange, thinly sliced
- 1 (750 ml) bottle red wine (see Note)
- 1 and 3/4 cups (420ml) fresh apple cider
- 1/2 cup (120ml) brandy
- 1/4 cup (60ml) orange juice (or juice from 2 medium oranges)
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) lemon juice
- club soda, to taste
Optional Cinnamon-Sugar Rim
- 3 Tablespoons (37g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Place the cinnamon sticks, apples, and orange slices in a large 2-quart pitcher. Add wine, apple cider, brandy, orange juice, and lemon juice. Allow to sit in the refrigerator for 6–24 hours. Taste; if you’d like it to be sweeter, add 1–2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, honey, or agave.
- If you’d like a cinnamon-sugar rim, mix the sugar and cinnamon together and pour onto a plate. Moisten the rim of your wine glasses with water, turn the glass upside down, then coat the rim in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Pour or ladle in the sangria with fruit and add a splash of club soda (the unsweetened fizz is wonderful). Garnish with a cinnamon stick, if desired. Cheers!
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Sangria is the perfect make-ahead cocktail since it must sit for at least 6 hours. You can also make it one day in advance.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Large Pitcher | Wooden Spoon
- Red Wine to Use: The wine you use doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive—you’re adding so many other flavors to it that you won’t be able to taste the finer nuances. An affordable, light-bodied red table wine works great for sangria. A Spanish red such as tempranillo or garnacha is a classic choice, but I’ve also made this apple sangria with pinot noir, malbec, and various red blends. You simply want a red wine that’s fairly dry, light, and fruity.
- Can I Make This With White Wine? Yes, feel free to replace the red wine with a fairly dry, light, and fruity white wine. I also have a separate recipe for apple cider white sangria.
- Apple Cider: You can make your own homemade apple cider or buy an unfiltered version from the store or farm market—it will be in the refrigerator section. Do not use hard cider (alcoholic drink) or apple cider vinegar.
- Brandy to Use: An apple-flavored or ginger-flavored brandy is fantastic in this sangria. If you want to skip the brandy, you can replace with triple sec or add more apple cider.
- Ice: Feel free to add ice to your glasses of sangria. Don’t add it directly to the pitcher—this waters the sangria down.
I can’t wait to make this for a Fall gathering we have coming up! For those who prefer no alcohol, try a nonalcoholic red wine! You get the wine flavor without the alcohol, a win-win in my book! My mom can’t drink alcohol because of the medication she’s on, and has always enjoyed a glass of wine until recently when her doctor said no more, too risky. So I’ll be making this for her with nonalcoholic wine and use pomegranate or cranberry juice for the brandy. Can’t wait to try this!
This looks delicious! Do you by any chance have have a recipe for white sangria?
Hi Jeannie, here is our apple cider autumn sangria!
I made this for a birthday party and it was allllll gone! Will make again very very delicious!
To make this recipe non alcoholic would you simple omit the alcohol or do a substitute?
Hi Pam, you could try swapping the wine with more apple cider or a different juice like cranberry juice, more orange juice, or pomegranate juice. Let us know if you give anything a try.
I made this for our pumpkin carving party and it was a hit! I doubled the recipe and used the Cherry Blossom red wine from Trader Joe’s
What is your favorite red wine to add with this? I don’t like red wine very much so I’m not familiar with them but oddly enough I love red sangrias when I order them out. Thank you!
Hi Ashley, we often reach for a pinot noir (usually just a cheaper $10-12 bottle!) or a light bodied Spanish red wine (tempranillo) would also be delicious. Doesn’t need to be anything fancy!
Just made this recipe last evening for our Oktoberfest neighborhood party. Let it muddle overnight and I used plan old Brady, not flavored. The cinnamon stick gave it a great little spiced flavor. Loved it!
The best sangria! I love that it’s not overly sweet. We love red wine and it’s nice to find a fun variation from traditional red wine sangria.
I loved this recipe so much..
I actually made it 4years ago for my sister’s 30th bday and oh boy.. it vanished within minutes.
I think i actually quadrupled the recipe.. so..
I used the Sangria wine from Kirkland (Costco) and Apple cider from Farmer’s Market.
Making this again in a week!!
I want to make this but my friend is allergic to lemon:( Can I leave the lemon out or replace with another fruit?
Hi Karen, you can simply omit the lemon juice. No other changes needed!
When tripling or doubling the recipe, how many cinnamon sticks should I use? I tripled them once when made before and I thought it was a little too much cinnamon.
Hi Jaclyn! Feel free to reduce the cinnamon sticks if it was too strong last time. Maybe 6 total for a triple recipe would be better for your batch.
Do you personally like the red or white apple cider sangria better? I can’t decide which one to make for a Thanksgiving potluck!
Hi Lindsey! I love the red version, but the general population usually sways towards white sangria. (In my experience serving both at parties!) You may want to try that one!
Hi sally! I have made your sangria soooo many times over the last couple of years because i love it so much! I even convinced my sister to let me prepare some for her wedding! How many days in advance do you think I can make this?
Thank you! 🙂
Hi Kathy! What a wonderful wedding cocktail. For the best taste, I recommend making it 2-3 days in advance. Add the fruit up to 1 day in advance and the club soda right before serving.
We are a family that doesn’t drink alcohol. Can I leave that out or replace it?
Hi Janelle, you could try swapping the wine with more apple cider or a different juice like cranberry juice, more orange juice, or pomegranate juice. Let us know if you give anything a try.
I have made this 4 times over the last year so I figure it’s tine to comment 😉 I lovelovelove this recipe. I like to add extra orange slices, and I always use Tempranillo for the wine. Thank you for this gem of a recipe!
This looks amassing! What specific sweetener would you recommend? And is there a brand of apple cider you find tastier?
I don’t add sweetener. For the apple cider, it depends where you live. But not unfiltered versions are refrigerated. Trader Joes makes a delicious one!
Hello Sally,
Is it imperative to use unfiltered apple cider? I accidentally bought filtered.
Thanks!
Unfiltered tastes much better– I find filtered tastes like apple juice! Keeping that in mind, you can absolutely use filtered.
Amazing! Made this for a Halloween Party tonight and it’s great. I thought I had messed it up because I used alcoholic apple cider which makes it a little more boozy and less sweet, but I adjusted with brown sugar and a bit more orange juice and it’s worked out nicely!
This recipe is incredible! Thank you so much. My Sangria just came out wonderful!
Sangria is so “forgiving”. Just about any wine, brandy, fruit, fruit juice, or fizzy drink will do ( those are the 5 basic ingredients for Sangria). This particular recipe plays off Autumn flavors, and is wonderful! I’m sipping a glass now as a treat for having made-ahead 2 batches for Turkey Day, tomorrow, and I used my own, homemade wine for a personal touch ( a Syrah-Zin blend). Feel free to play around with variations on the basics, but just know the result will be slightly different than Sally’s intended outcome. At any rate, you won’t end up with something “yucky” just because you used sparkling cider stead of club soda, cab instead of Tempranillo, or cranberry juice instead or orange juice. I do advise tasting for sweetness, though, and adjusting with sugar/ sweetener to taste.
Can I make this two days prior to serving? Can I make it on a Tuesday afternoon to serve on a Thursday afternoon or is that sitting too long?
That should be fine.
Do you have a good recipe for mulled wine?
I don’t– sorry!
Love your blog! I was wondering, when substituting white wine in this recipe does everything else stay the same? Is it still the same amount of brandy needed?
Thanks for the help!
Yep, everything else including the brandy can stay exactly the same. My friend prefers it with white wine, but I favor red. Let me know how you like it!
Hiya Sally!
This looks amazing and I’m definitely aiming to make this on Thanksgiving for my family!
Is there a particular brandy that you used or prefer with this? I’m not much of a brandy gal so I need a little help in this department!
Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Cheers!
Hey Charity! I am NOT a huge expert in brandy either. I just went with my local alcohol store’s recommendation. I use E&J VSOP Brandy– pretty affordable for a small bottle. The only time I use this bottle is for sangria.
Hi Emily! I actually haven’t tried it, but I don’t see any issues preparing it that way.
Hi Tara! I typically pour the club soda into each glass when serving; just a splash in each glass for some delicious fizz.