Celebrate all of the flavors of fall with pumpkin sangria. A delicious blend of pumpkin cider, white wine, bourbon, and pumpkin spice.
As soon as back-to-school hits, I fall victim to craving pumpkin spice everything: pumpkin coffee, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin cookies, and now, pumpkin spice sangria. This delicious autumnal sangria combines apples, pumpkin cider, white wine, bourbon, and warm spices. And it doesn’t have any pumpkin puree, so it’s not thick!
Make a large pitcher at home and serve it around the fire pit on a cool evening. Or enjoy the sangria over ice on those days were you’re ready for Fall, but it’s still hot outside! It tastes like Fall in a glass.
For a little extra flair, serve this pumpkin sangria in wine glasses with a cinnamon sugar rim! They look pretty, smell amazing, and add a little extra flavor to the cocktail.
Ingredients for This Pumpkin Sangria Recipe
- Chopped Red Apples – Apples add sweetness and crisp flavor to fall cocktails. They are perfect for a delicious sangria!
- Pumpkin Pie Spice – When you think of pumpkin anything, you’re usually thinking about pumpkin spice. It’s a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. It adds warmth and earthy flavor to pumpkin drinks.
- Bourbon – Add warmth and rich flavor to this sangria with spirits. Bourbon has notes of caramel and vanilla, which pair well with pumpkin spice and Fall flavors. Use your favorite affordable bourbon for sangria since it is only used to enhance the other flavors. Spiced rum is also a good spirit option if you don’t have bourbon!
- Pumpkin Cider – Rather than using a pumpkin puree or juice, this sangria uses pumpkin cider. Ciders are made with pumpkin puree, apples, and spices. They add that pumpkin flavor without using a thick puree.
- White Wine – The best white wine for this sangria is a semi-dry white wine like a Viognier or a dry Chardonnay. The combination of the dry and oaky flavors of these wines perfectly compliments the sweeter cider. It also pairs nicely with the smokiness of bourbon and the warm flavors of pumpkin pie spices.
- Cinnamon Sticks – Add a little additional cinnamon flavor with whole sticks of cinnamon. These are also great as garnishes!
- Pumpkin Syrup (optional) – For a little more pumpkin flavor, add 2-3 tablespoons of pumpkin syrup to the pitcher of sangria.
Choosing the Best Pumpkin Cider
There are a variety of pumpkin ciders to choose from. National brands, like Ace Cider, often release pumpkin as a seasonal flavor in autumn. My local Wegman’s grocery store actually had several pumpkin ciders in stock as early as August. I chose Swilled Dog Hard Cider’s Pumpkin Patch for this delicious sangria. According to the ingredients, this cider is made with pumpkin, chai, cinnamon, and apple.
What White Wine is Best in this Autumn Sangria?
The best white wine for this sangria is a dry Chardonnay or a Viognier. These wines are either medium or full-bodied. That means that they taste thicker on the tongue.
Many Chardonnays and Viogniers are aged in oak. So they have a bit of oaky flavor. The notes of oak add an earthy flavor to the sangria. It also helps cut the sweetness.
How to Make Pumpkin Sangria
The key to a good white sangria is finding just the right blend of flavors. And this pumpkin sangria does just that. It blends favorite fall flavors, like cinnamon, apples, pumpkin, and bourbon together in a balanced way. The result is a festive drink perfect for fall celebrations!
Step 1 – Chop 3 medium red apples and add them to a large pitcher.
Step 2 – Add pumpkin pie spice to the pitcher. Or create your own blend of pumpkin pie spices with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
Step 3 – Add 5 oz of bourbon. I use Evan Williams for sangrias or cocktails where bourbon isn’t the main focus. It is affordable and delicious.
Step 4 – Add 24 oz of pumpkin cider to the pitcher. The cider also adds a bit of effervescence to the sangria from the carbonation.
Step 5– The final ingredient is about 12 ounces or half a bottle of white wine. After all, you can’t make sangria without wine.
Step 6 – Pour 12 ounces, or half a bottle, of white wine into the pitcher. After all, you can’t make sangria without wine.
How to Serve Pumpkin Sangria
Serve this pumpkin pie sangria over ice in a wine or cocktail glass. Add a cinnamon stick and a few apple slices for garnish.
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Add a Cinnamon Sugar Rim
Elevate your fall sangria recipe a little more by adding a cinnamon sugar rim.
First, dip the glass in a small shallow plate of simple syrup. This creates a wet and sticky surface for the sugar and cinnamon to stick to.
Next, combine sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Pour the mixture into a shallow dish and evenly spread it along the bottom of the dish. Flip the wine glass upside down and dip glasses in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
How Long Does Sangria Last in the Fridge
Sangria typically lasts up to five days open in the refrigerator. However, this sangria has a shorter shelf life due to the cider. Pumpkin cider is carbonated. Once the cider goes flat, its flavor profile changes a bit. I wouldn’t recommend storing this sangria for more than 2 or 3 days.
This delicious pumpkin sangria is a delicious fall cocktail. It’s also cool and refreshing, so you can start enjoying it before the temperatures even go down! Or serve it this holiday season at Thanksgiving or various holiday parties.
More Festive Sangrias to Enjoy
Pumpkin Sangria
Equipment
- 1 glass pitcher
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped red apple
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 5 oz Bourbon
- 24 oz pumpkin cider
- 12 oz white wine
- cinnamon sticks
This sounds so fun and festive! Love the idea, Ashley!