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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!
Curious if there’s a way to make this without the ginger beer? Me and my family aren’t big fans of carbonation/sparkling drinks and would love to make this without the fizzy aspect if you think that would work?
Hi there! You can totally omit the ginger beer! Maybe just add in some more apple cider/apple juice? xT
Can’t wait to make this for my Thanksgiving guests!!! Question: could I make this the night before (adding the ginger beer right before serving) and get the same results?
Yes, that should be fine! xT
This recipe is great for all of fall, not just Thanksgiving. I doubled the recipe and made it for a party and it was a huge hit!
Thank you for taking the time to try out this recipe! So glad to hear you enjoyed it! xT
Absolutely loved this! So fun and festive. I made it for both Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving 🙂
Hey Lexie,
Happy Monday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it turned out well for you! Thanks for your comment! xT
We made the Thanksgiving Sangria and it was excellent and so pretty in the glass. It’s definitely a keeper recipe! Thanks!
Hey Denise,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for giving it a try! Have a great weekend:)
Made it tonight. I tried it right away and it was strong but after it sat in the fruit and chilled, it was perfect. I used Pinot Grigio and I did not use ginger beer bc it’s not my thing.
Hey Ryan,
Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! xx
Made this for Thanksgiving to start things off. It was perfect and delicious! Such a great mixture of flavors. This will definitely be annual tradition at our Thanksgiving! Thanks for always having the best recipes!!
Hey Julie,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for giving it a try! Have a great weekend:)
Made this for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it! Used apple butter because I couldn’t find pumpkin butter, but I added pumpkin spiced apple cider and it was delicious 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Hi Jenny,
Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! xx
I just made it. I’d like it a little sweeter but maybe it will Be tomorrow once the flavors have time to mesh.
Thanks for trying the recipe Mandy! Happy Thanksgiving! Cheers! xx
Whoops I put the ginger beer in too soon, but it’s still delicious (just a little flat, when I make it again I’ll wait to add that haha). Thank you for the recipe!
Hey there,
Happy Thanksgiving!!🦃🍁 I am so glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
I made it for Friendsgiving last weekend and will make it again tomorrow for thanksgiving! It will now be a yearly staple on our thanksgiving day menu! Thanks for sharing!
Hey there,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃
Hi Tieghan, I want to make this but cannot find apple butter or pumpkin butter in my stores. Is there a substitute? Or will the reciep be fine without it? Thanks!
Hi Kara,
You could make your apple butter or pumpkin butter:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/homemade-slow-cooker-maple-apple-butter/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/6-ingredient-spiced-pumpkin-butter/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! Cheers! xT
Hello! Is this okay to do a day prior or is it better to do the day of? Thanks
Hey Chelsea,
Totally okay to make this 1 day in advance:) I hope you love this recipe. Cheers! xx
Is it possible to use apple juice instead of apple cider? I live in the virgin islands and can’t find apple cider here!
Hey Hallie,
Yes, apple juice will be totally fine for you to use! I hope you love the recipe!! Cheers!! xT
I have some Raspberry flavored brandy, would that work? Is there a suggested substitute other than brandy?
Hey Kerri,
Sure, that might be yummy! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it’s delish! Cheers! xT
This was delicious! Perfectly spiced, perfectly balanced between sweet and dry, perfectly fall.
Thanks Tieghan!
Hey Nikaela,
I truly appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, love to hear that it was enjoyed!❄️ xx
I have the pumpkin punch bowl that I want to use for Thanksgiving, my concern it that it needs 5 – 6 cups of punch just to reach the spout.
How many ounces is a serving?
That would be helpful in figuring out how many servings I wold need to make For 1 gallon of punch.
I would say each serving is 12 ounces and this recipe makes 8 servings.