Apple Pear Sangria
December 14, 2019 by Nicole Collins
It’s Sangria time!
And, it's also Day 2 in our 12 Days of Beverages Challenge!
Let’s be real…we couldn’t do a drink challenge without a sangria. It just wouldn’t be right!
I may not be a huge wine fan (though I’m really trying!). But, I’ve always been a sangria fan. Fresh fruit really makes all the difference. I mean, a boozy snack and drink in one? Sounds like winning to me!
We may be celebrating this beverage at Christmas time, but it really is a perfect year round drink. There are some fall flavors in here, some Christmas colors, and sangria, overall, is just the perfect refreshing summertime drink. And trust me, you’ll want to drink this one all year.
So today, we’re making Apple Pear Sangria!
Funny story about this drink. I had the idea for a while and had all but one of the ingredients for it, because I had a schedule for when I was going to test this drink. Then, I got a Thanksgiving invite that I accepted at the last minute; and I just can’t go to someone’s house for a meal empty handed. So, I put my thinking cap on to figure out how to get around that one missing ingredient (pear juice) so that I could bring it with me to this dinner; and it worked out perfectly!
So, you guessed it, this drink starts with homemade pear juice! Peel and dice 4 pears, then toss them into a food processor with a squeeze of lemon juice and a little honey. Now my pears were a tad underripe, so they weren’t their sweetest. If you have perfectly ripe pears, you may not need the extra honey. Taste it, see what you think, and add the honey to the pear puree if you need it.
Now, we don’t want our drink to be gritty, so we’re actually going to strain out just the juice from the puree to use. I actually strained mine twice just to make sure I got all of the pulp out. Now, this may seem like a lot of work for just a little juice, so you can certainly buy pear juice if you’re able to plan ahead (like I didn’t).
To our homemade pear juice, we’re going to add some pinot grigio, apple brandy, seltzer water, and another squeeze of honey. Then, we add our fresh fruit: apples, pears, and cranberries. And, we finish the mix with a couple of cinnamon sticks. Give it all a good stir, and let it sit for at least a few hours in the fridge until it’s completely chilled. This is a drink that you’re going to want to serve ice cold. In fact, the cranberries that I added to this drink were frozen so they acted like little fruity icecubes!
This drink is perfectly sweet, a smidge tart, and totally refreshing. And, it’s certainly perfect for washing down Christmas dinner!
Here’s a recap of contenders for Christmas drinks so far:
Day 1: Pretzel Hot Chocolate
Alright everyone, you know the drill…please make sure you always drink responsibly!
Enjoy, and let’s drink!
Apple Pear Sangria
Serves: 6 Print
Ingredients:
5 pears
1 apple, thinly sliced
juice of ½ a lemon
¼ cup honey, divided
½ cup cranberries
2 cinnamon sticks
1 bottle (750ml) pinot grigio
1 cup apple brandy
2 cups seltzer water
Directions:
Make the pear juice: Peel, core, and chop 4 pears; and place in a food processor. Add lemon juice and 2 tbsp honey. Process on high for at least 1 minute. Pour mix through a fine mesh sieve into a pitcher so that only the juice dispenses into the pitcher. Discard any solids.
Finish the sangria: Thinly slice the remaining pear. Add the pear, apple, cranberries, and cinnamon sticks to the pitcher. Top with wine, brandy, seltzer water, and 2 tbsp honey. Stir well to combine, making sure the honey dissolves. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours and up to 24 hours before serving. Serve chilled.
Recipe notes:
*Instead of making your own pear juice, you could also use about ½- 3/4 cup of store bought pear juice.
*This drink is the most refreshing served ice cold.
*If your pears are super sweet, you may not need to add the extra 2 tbsp honey to the drink. Taste it, and see what you think. You can always add, but you can't take away.
*Please drink responsibly!
