bageldreams:

Boozy Friday – Honey Crisp Apple Sangria

Ingredients
2 Honeycrisp apples plus a few apple slices for garnish
2 oranges, quartered
1 lemon, quartered
1 lime, quartered
One 750-milliliter bottle Chardonnay, preferably unoaked
1/4 cup Calvados (apple brandy) or other apple liquor (optional)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cinnamon sticks
5 cloves
Ginger ale (Club soda or lemon-lime soda are good substitutes)
Garnish: 2 tablespoons sugar + 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method:
Peel (optional), core and chop apples. Cut one of the oranges, lemon and lime into quarters. Set aside.

In a large pitcher, combine the Chardonnay, Calvados, if using, and honey. Stir to combine. Add the chopped apples. Squeeze the juice of the orange, lemon, and lime into the pitcher before tossing them into the pitcher. (I squeeze the citrus through a strainer to catch the seeds and pulp.) Add the cinnamon sticks and cloves. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Remove the citrus quarters. Slice the remaining orange and set aside.

On a small plate, blend the 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon. Moisten the glass rims and dip in the cinnamon/sugar mixture to coat. Garnish glasses with orange and apple slices.

Fill the glasses with ice. Pour in the sangria until each glass is three-quarters full. Top with a splash of ginger ale.

Pretty sure we are going to have these while we haul out the holiday decor.

And before you get judgy about us decorating so early, just know my husband is going out of town and my oldest is off work so it’s our only chance to do this as a family.