Apple Cider Sangria

My love for all things fall lives on . . . with apple cider sangria. 

I contemplated baking Halloween cupcakes, but it's been a rough week (teething) and when Sydney made full body contact with the flour today, I said F cupcakes. I'm always on the hunt for new seasonal drink recipes, and I've seen a few going around on Pinterest and thought I'd give it a whirl.

I love sangria but I'm tough to please because I don't really like sweet drinks (oxymoron, I know). Still I started with all the ingredients listed in the recipe because what do I know -- maybe this lady is a sangria wizard:

• 1 bottle (standard size) of pinot grigio
• 2 1/2 cups fresh apple cider (or, in my case, generic grocery store-label cider)
• 1 cup club soda
• 1/2 cup ginger brandy
• 3 honeycrisp apples, chopped
• 3 pears, chopped

I began chopping and soon began to think this was far more fruit than I wanted in my sangria (JUST GIVE ME THE BOOZE), so I only chopped up two apples and two pears -- and even that was a little aggressive for my taste.

My underage assistant just wants the booze as well.

I combined all the ingredients and stirred, stirred, stirred as the recipe dictates, but it was a bit too sweet for my liking when I tasted it -- so I added a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, a little more club soda and a little more brandy, and it was DELICIOUS. But warm. Like lukewarm, gross-warm. So I sadly put my sangria into the 'fridge to chill and pouted made dinner and got Sydney ready for bed.

But now? Now I am typing this and drinking my deliciously chilled, not-too-sweet apple cider sangria and am obsessed.

Clearly not a food photographer (or any photographer for that matter) and the sangria looks like apples soaking in less than ideal bodily fluids, but I promise you it's AWESOME. 

Cheers and you're welcome.