LATE HARVEST SPICED APPLE SANGRIA

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I bet you thought I’d abandoned sangria for COCKTAILS, didn’t you? Although sangria was definitely my first love, as I’ve dived deeper into recipe development and mixology here at JustineCelina, my foray into cocktailing over the past 3.5 years was something I never would have predicted (I’m a huge wino and I thought I’d always prefer wine based libations to cocktails!). I’ve published just about every type of sangria recipe you can think of on these pages, incorporating red wine, white wine, rosé and prosecco — you’d think I’d have my bases covered by now, right? Nope. I’ve always wanted to create an autumnal sangria incorporating October’s beautiful BC apples and late harvest wine, but could never find the right spirit to bring it to life — that is, until now! Enter Eau Claire Distillery‘s newest limited edition offering, Apple Brandy. This seasonally inspired spirit is infused with orchard fresh Okanagan apples and the essence of warm French oak — and I knew it would be the perfect ingredient to elevate my Late Harvest Spiced Apple Sangria with handcrafted flair and character!

Just in time for Canadian Thanksgiving, I’m thrilled to bring you a fresh sangria recipe inspired by changing leaves, cozy knits, brisk autumn evenings and celebrating this beautiful life with family and friends! My Late Harvest Spiced Apple Sangria combines late harvest riesling with Eau Claire’s Apple Brandy, freshly pressed apple cider and ginger beer with a sweet and spicy trio of Okanagan apples, fresh ginger and cinnamon sticks to infuse this comforting, apple-centric sangria with autumnal warmth. In the spirit of the season to thank you for all your support this year, I’ve teamed up with Eau Claire Distillery, Calgary Farmer’s Market and Rocky Mountain Food & Wine Festival to create the Ultimate Local Foodie Giveaway — including a bottle of limited edition Apple Brandy, 50 Farmers Market Bucks so you can shop for everything you need to recreate this sangria at home while supporting our local farmers and attend Calgary’s premiere food and wine festival, on me (check out the bottom of this post for entry deets!). Wishing all of my Canadian friends the happiest of Thanksgivings — I’m so grateful for each and every one of you!

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LATE HARVEST SPICED APPLE SANGRIA

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Oh man you guys, it’s been an incredibly busy past month, to put it mildly. As some of you know, we enjoyed a restful September long weekend in Jasper — the calm before the storm if you will! All of September and this first week of October are some of the busiest I’ve had all year between client work, blog projects and planning / shooting more comprehensive style content (get ready to tons of autumnal FASHION inspiration coming your way this month!). Thanksgiving long weekend was the light at the end of the tunnel — and we’re almost there!

This recipe actually came together quite quickly — and I think it’s because it’s been marinating in the back of my mind for years, as many of my recipes often do, until I find the perfect ingredients to bring them to life! I knew I wanted to work with a white wine unlike what I typically prefer to drink, as I tend to favour crisper, dryer whites. Riesling isn’t a wine I’ve explored too much, mostly because it can be overly sweet for my liking. But as I was researching wines with a flavour profile I felt would be complimentary to this recipe, late harvest rieslings kept popping up.

Deinhard Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling jumped out at me in the German section of my local Superstore liquor store (which to be honest I’ve never explored!) and I decided to try it in this recipe as it features apple, mango and flint stone notes.  I have a hard rule that I’ll never use a wine for sangria that I wouldn’t drink neat, so I poured myself a glass and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it! It’s slightly sweeter than what I usually gravitate to, but it has a lovely aged quality and a touch of spice perfect for autumn. It’s a beautiful, golden, ultra mellow wine that creates the perfect backdrop for Eau Claire’s Apple Brandy to sing! I will absolutely be exploring German wines and riesling in the future.

I wanted this sangria to be reminiscent of a spiked apple cider, but infused with wine-based complexities and effervescent freshness! There is a healthy dose of fresh apple cider in the mix (which I also found at Superstore, in the refrigerated juices section — although most grocers have fresh apple cider at this time of year), but I’ve teamed it up with non-alcoholic spicy ginger beer (I used The Great Jamaican Ginger Beer Co brand, widely available at Safeway and CO-OP grocers locally) and zingy Lemon San Pellegrino, then infused it with lots of fresh apple, ginger and cinnamon sticks. It tastes like autumn in a glass — simultaneously cozy and refreshing!

This sangria has become a fast favourite among family and friends over the past month that I’ve been testing. My girlfriends loved it and it’s also Adam approved (generally he’s not a sangria fan, so that says something!). It’s definitely a crowd pleasing recipe that goes down easy (consider yourself warned!) and is enjoyed by winos and non-wine lovers alike. I love to serve sangria whenever we’re hosting or attending a party and it’s ideal for Thanksgiving! There’s nothing I love more than whipping up a big batch of this in the kitchen while the turkey cooks and the kitchen bustles with the activity of holiday meal prep while children play at our feet. It’s truly one of my favourite things to share recipes like this with family and friends over the holidays! From my family to yours, I hope you enjoy this Late Harvest Spiced Apple Sangria and my Ultimate Local Foodie Giveaway, if you’re entering (more details on that at the bottom of this post!).

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Ingredients

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Yield: 5 litres

Quantity note: Ideal for groups of 8 or less. If you’re hosting 8+, double this recipe. Alternatively, halve this recipe for groups of 4 or less.

• 2 bottles late harvest riesling (I used Deinhard Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, a German Riesling available at Superstore liquor stores)
• 1 375ml bottle Eau Claire Apple Brandy
• 4 cups freshly pressed apple cider
• 2 bottles non-alcoholic spicy ginger beer (I used The Great Jamaican Ginger Beer Co brand)
• 1 can Limonata (Lemon) San Pellegrino
• Juice from 2 lemons
• 2 apples
• 6 slices of fresh ginger
• 8 cinnamon sticks

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Instructions

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1. Add wine and Apple Brandy to a large beverage dispenser.
2. Add apple cider, ginger beer and San Pellegrino. We like our sangria on the dryer side, but if you prefer sweeter drinks you may want to add more apple cider and /or San Pellegrino and less ginger beer. Make sure to taste (and stir) as you go!

3. Squeeze fresh lemon juice into the mixture. Slice 2 apples and add to the mixture along with 6 slices of fresh ginger slices and 8 cinnamon sticks. Stir to combine.
4. Enjoy immediately or allow the Late Harvest Spiced Apple Sangria to sit overnight and serve the next day.
5. To serve, fill a wine glass with sangria, then add a cinnamon stick and a few apple slices from the beverage dispenser to each glass. Cheers!

Note: Although it won’t be as fresh, this sangria will keep refrigerated for up to 1 week if you have leftovers. If you leave the apples, ginger and cinnamon sticks in, gets spicier and becomes almost like a mulled cider! After about 24 hours, the brandy soaked apples are to die for.

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{NOW CLOSED} ULTIMATE LOCAL FOODIE GIVEAWAY!

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I’m thrilled to partner with Eau Claire Distillery (once again!), Calgary Farmers Market and the Rocky Mountain Food & Wine Festival to bring you this Ultimate Local Foodie Giveaway!

To enter to win a bottle of Eau Claire Distillery Apple Brandy, 50 Calgary Farmers Market Bucks and 2 tickets to the Calgary Rocky Mountain Food & Wine Festival on Saturday, October 13th, 2018 from 12pm – 4pm (valued at $150):

• Follow JustineCelina on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest
• Follow Eau Claire Distillery on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter
• Follow Calgary Farmer’s Market on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter
• Leave a comment below telling me all about your favourite sangria recipe!

Bonus entry for Instagram users:

• Head over to this post and follow the instructions!

Contest open to Calgary and area residents until October 10th, 2018 at 11:59pm MST. Must be available to pick up prize from the Eau Claire Distillery booth located at the Calgary Farmer’s Market, provide proof of identification and of be legal drinking age to enter. Good luck!

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SANGRIA LOVER? I’VE GOT YOU COVERED

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Classic Winter Citrus Red Sangria

Sparkling Pomegranate Cranberry Sangria

White Citrus Sangria

Rosé Lychee Elderflower Sangria

Vanilla Pomegranate Mulled Wine (basically a warm sangria!)

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When it comes to sangria, do you prefer the classics, or like to experiment? I hope this seasonally inspired twist on transitional white sangria has convinced you to mix things up every once in awhile! We’re headed east to our hometowns for Thanksgiving weekend with a double batch in tow. After this extremely hectic week, I can’t imagine it lasting very long!

As always, if you try my Late Harvest Spiced Apple Sangria leave me a comment below, or tag me on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook! If you end up making it this holiday season please report back and let me know — I absolutely love to hear from you! You can also use the hashtag #justinecelinarecipes in your recreations on social media so I can find them — I love it when you guys tag me so I can see what you make! I also have a Pinterest board for my recipes if you’re looking for more plant based culinary inspiration or better-for-you cocktail options with clean ingredients. Thanks for stopping by today for my latest sangria recipe and best of luck if you’re entering the giveaway! Wishing all my Canadian friends a very happy, sangria fueled Thanksgiving. Cheers!

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Disclaimer: Thank you to my friends at Eau Claire Distillery and Calgary Farmer’s Market for facilitating this giveaway. This post is not sponsored and contains my genuine thoughts, ideas and recommendations. JustineCelina uses affiliate and referral links, which allow me to receive a small commission when you make a purchase through one of my links. Thank you for supporting the brands and businesses that support JustineCelina.com!