Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Apple Cinnamon Sangria

It's here!  Cinco de Mayo is an excuse to drink some festive drinks and eat Mexican food...sounds like a holiday to me!  The most common drink of Cinco de Mayo is definitely margaritas, but I wanted to make something a bit different.  Don't get me wrong, I could down a pitcher of lime margaritas on the rocks, but today I decided to change it up a bit.

On a recent trip to Philadelphia, I ordered an Apple Cinnamon Sangria at a great little gourmet pizza place.  I thought the cinnamon might be weird and a little bit too much like a fall mulled wine drink.  To my surprise, it was wonderful...and I loved eating the few tart, wine-soaked apple slices after I finished my sangria.

In writing this recipe, I didn't really know how to infuse all the cinnamon and apple flavor.  So, I did what I always do and threw a bunch of ingredients together and hoped for the best!  Letting it sit overnight is key to this recipe, so throw this sangria together and look forward to an awesome at-home happy hour tomorrow night!

Ingredients:

1 bottle red wine
2 bottles hard cider
1 green apple
1/2 orange
3-4 cinnamon sticks

Directions:

Core and chop the apple into large chunks.  Slice the orange and put the fruit and cinnamon sticks in a jug or pitcher.  Pour in the wine and cider and let the sangria sit over night in the fridge.  I gave mine a full 24 hours to infuse the most cinnamon flavor possible.

A few notes:  

• I recommend a full-bodied red wine that isn't too sweet, but use your favorite.  
• The hard cider I used was Angry Orchard Apple Ginger Cider.  It gives the sangria a bit of fizz, a more intense apple flavor and a nice hint of ginger.  
• Let the sangria sit for at least 4-6 hours.  24 hours is ideal.  
• Do not use ground cinnamon. 
• Finally, if you down this all in one evening like we did, save the fruit and cinnamon sticks in the fridge and make another batch.