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My go-to Thanksgiving Sangria – to kick off a night with family and friends. This is one of my favorite festive pitcher style drinks to serve up this November. White wine mixed with cider, brandy, pumpkin butter, citrus, spices, and a splash of ginger beer. It’s a touch sweet, refreshing, so easy to make, and perfect for both Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving gatherings!
Happy first Saturday of November everyone! Stopping in for a quick cocktail Saturday post to officially kick off the holiday season! Crazy that November is already here! We have a very full month ahead, stocked with delicious Thanksgiving recipes and quick weeknight dinners. But first, a cocktail to celebrate the season!
Over the years I’ve made a few Sangria recipes, this Christmas Sangria being one of my favorites to date. I’ve known for about a month now that I wanted to create a Thanksgiving Sangria. I figured if Christmas has its own Sangria, then Thanksgiving needs one too!
Enter today’s recipe. It’s the EASIEST pitcher cocktail to throw together. You can make it up to a day in advance and it’s pretty festive too. Especially when served in this pumpkin punch bowl with accompanying seamless pumpkin wine glasses.
Here is how you make this sangria.
Combine all the ingredients in a large punch bowl. Chill until ready to serve. Top off with ginger beer.
DONE.
I mean, how easy is that?!?
The Secret?
Using a mix of white wine, apple cider, and brandy, then stirring in spiced pumpkin butter or apple butter. I prefer using spiced pumpkin butter, but only because I find it a little more appropriate for Thanksgiving. Either pumpkin butter or apple butter works great, and both add just the right amount of spice and sweetness to your sangria.
For my mix of fruit, I used sliced apples, blood oranges, and pomegranates. You can really use any mix of autumn fruits you love. But I found these particularly pretty, and they pair deliciously with the flavors in the wine and cider.
And then, the ginger beer. My complete obsession. I love topping all cocktails with just a little ginger beer. I find it adds the perfect amount of spice to every cocktail.
I’m excited to be including this in my 2019 Thanksgiving menu that will be coming in just about a week!
This is the perfect make-ahead party Sangria for both Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving!
Tip? Test this sangria out tonight. You know…just to be sure it’s Thanksgiving ready….hey, it’s a fun drink for the first Saturday of November too. Enjoy!
If you make this Thanksgiving Sangria, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Thanksgiving Sangria.
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 219 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 (750 ml) bottle dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1/2 cup brandy
- 1/2 cup pumpkin butter (or apple butter)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2-4 tablespoons pure maple syrup, using more or less to your taste
- 2 honeycrisp apples, sliced
- 2 blood oranges, sliced
- 1 cup pomegranate arils
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1-2 (12 ounce) ginger beers
- star anise, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- 1. In a large pitcher, combine all the ingredients except the ginger beer. Stir and then place in the fridge until chilled.2. Before serving, add the ginger beer. Fill each glass with ice and pour the sangria over the ice. If desired top with more ginger beer. Drink up!
Is it possible to make this the day before ?
Hey Megan! Yes, of course! Making this ahead of time works great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
So excited to make this to bring to Thanksgiving! Would fresh cranberries work instead of the pomegranate arils?
Hey Kayla! Fresh cranberries will be great and so pretty! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Made this for Friendsgiving and it was a HUGE success!!
YES! I love to hear that! Thank you so much Grace! xTieghan
Hi! I’m not very familiar with brandy; do you have one or two that you would recommend for this recipe?
Hi Michelle! I love using an apple brandy for this recipe, but honest any brandy your liquor store recommends is great!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Can’t wait to try this for Thanksgiving this year. Any recommendations on what type of brandy to use? Not necessarily the brand but what flavor do you use? Thanks!
Hey Sarah! I LOVE using an apple brandy, but it can be harder to find. If you can’t find apple, try pear! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Recipe looks amazing! Will definitely be making it. Could you replace the brandy with whiskey if you wanted? We’re a big whiskey family. Thanks!
Hi Molly! Whiskey will work very well! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
5 stars!!! Made this for my birthday this weekend and it was a supper hit. Tripled the recipe and people could not get enough. It will be an annual thing. The pumpkin butter puts it over the top!!!
That is so great! Thank you so much Wynelle! xTieghan
Hi, is the apple cider non alcoholic?
Yes, it is non alcoholic! I hope you love this Taleah! xTieghan
what a fun sangria, love it, beautfully photographed too!
Thank you so much Sabrina! xTieghan
I made this tonight as a test run for our Friendsgiving celebration next weekend, and it was so tasty! I ended up chopping up the fruits a bit more than you recommended for easyier munching, and it was so good overall. I like that this recipe isn’t too sweet; I assume that’s the lemon juice? For the pinot grigio, I bought a big ol’ bottle of Frontera Pinot Grigio; decent, but not something I would be disappointed to mix. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Hi Robbin! I am so glad this turned out so well for you and hope its amazing for your friendsgiving as well! Thank you so much! xTieghan
This looks so amazing and delicious but I think I need that Pumpkin Bowl too!
Haha yes you just might! Its so cute! I hope you love this cocktail! xTieghan
I’m guessing you melt the butter first, yes?
Hi Vera! There isn’t any butter used within this recipe. Are you referring to another recipe perhaps? If you are confused about the pumpkin butter, that is a spread made with real pumpkin, it’s not butter. See my homemade recipe below. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/6-ingredient-spiced-pumpkin-butter/
Do you recommend adding the star anise (shown in the beautiful photos but not listed in the ingredients) as a garnish when serving or at the beginning when the punch ingredients, except for the ginger beer, are combined and chilled?
Hi Kaye! Yes, I only like to add the star anise as a garnish. Recipe all fixed! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
What varietal of dry white wine do you use in this recipe? It sounds delicious so easy as a make ahead drink! Thank you.
Hi Jackie! I like to use Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Good Monring.
Is the Ginger Beer alcoholic or non? I used to buy Crabbies but unable to find it anymore in our locale. Non is very available.
I enjoy Moscow Mules and Crabbies was perfect for it.
Your Thanksgiving drink sounds wonderful.
Thanks.
Hi Leslie! It is non alcoholic ginger beer! I hope you love this! xTieghan