Tis’ the season for Holiday parties and cocktails galore.
This super simple Apple Cider Kombucha Sangria recipe is a winner! It’s a light and refreshing sipper made with no-added sugars.
During the Holidays, temptations are all around us. From cookies to cocktails and everything in between. Instead of using every bit of willpower that you have within you in efforts to make healthy choices and resist certain foods, why not just make them healthier?! We want you to enjoy this time of year! Not stress over what you should and shouldn’t be eating. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing “healthified” Holiday recipes that won’t leave you feeling like a stuffed turkey come January 1st. No one wants to feel that way!
Apple Cider Kombucha Sangria is the perfect “healthified” cocktail recipe that we know you’ll love. And like with any cocktail, it’s not a free-for-all kind of beverage. We suggest you use your own best judgement when it comes to an appropriate servings size. We wouldn’t want you waking up with a headache from having a few too many sangrias.
Tip: At holiday parties, being social with a cocktail in hand is totally cool. We suggest that you enjoy a serving of your favorite adult beverage and then switch to sparkling water OR make a spritzer with a 1:2 ratio of wine and sparkling water or kombucha. Sip your drinks slowly….no sucking them down in minutes 😉
Sparkling Ginger LIVE Kombucha adds a refreshing and healthy twist to this Apple Cider Kombucha Sangria recipe.
This recipe combines no-added sugar spiced apple cider, white wine, apple brandy, chunks of perfectly crisp apples and deliciously spiced with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and star anise. Letting the sangria set in the fridge for at least 1 hour with 4 hours being ideal, allows for the flavors to combine and apples to soak, creating quite a tasty concoction. As for the wine, feel free to choose your favorite white wine. We recommend a dry white wine since you’ll get plenty of natural sweetness from the apple cider and ginger kombucha.
Just before serving, top each glass off with a splash or two of LIVE Sparkling Ginger Kombucha.
LIVE Kombucha is one of our go-to cocktail and mocktail mixers. In fact, a few months ago we shared our Colorado Bulldog Kombucha cocktail and it was quite the hit. We love that LIVE Kombucha adds just the right amount of sweetness without all of the sugar. It also provides some impressive health benefits.
Billions of tiny but powerful probiotics (a word which actually means ‘for life’) lives in each 12oz serving of LIVE Kombucha, ready to move into your digestive tract, help keep your tummy clean and boost your immune system by promoting the health of your gut.
Garnishing with chunks of apples, cinnamon sticks and whole star anise will have your holiday guests oooooo’ing and awwwwe’ing.
We love making food look beautiful. While it’s not always about the presentation when it comes to food, during the Holidays….it kind of is! We’re confident that these Apple Cider Kombucha Sangria cocktails, served in a pretty stemless wine glass and eye catching garnishes, will up level your hosting game and have your guest feeling like they’ve really come to a fancy schmancy party. It will make them feel extra special and happy (maybe chatty too)! No excessively sugary drinks needed.
Get your healthified holiday cocktail game on with this Apple Cider Kombucha Sangria recipe.
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Apple Cider Kombucha Sangria
Apple Cider Kombucha Sangria recipe combines no-added sugar spiced apple cider, white wine, apple brandy, ginger kombucha, chunks of perfectly crisp apples and deliciously spiced with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and star anise. A perfect Holiday cocktail.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Beverage
Ingredients
- 1 750ml bottle of pinot grigio or other dry white wine of choice (or Sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, etc.)
- 2 cups spiced apple cider (no sugar added)
- ½ cup apple or ginger brandy
- 1 12-ounce bottle Live Sparkling Ginger Kombucha
- 2 medium apples, chopped
- 3 cinnamon sticks (we recommend Pure Indian Foods Ceylon Cinnamon Sticks)
- 6–8 whole cloves (we recommend Pure Indian Foods Whole Cloves)
- 2–3 whole star anise (we recommend Pure Indian Foods Whole Star Anise)
- Additional star anise, cinnamon sticks, apple slices, etc. for garnish
Instructions
- Combine wine, apple cider and brandy in a large pitcher.
- Add apples, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise and stir to combine.
- Refrigerate at least one hour.
- Just before serving, add kombucha.
- Pour into glasses and garnish as desired.
Notes
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Comment below and let us know if you’ll be adding this cocktail to your Holiday menu?
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Hello! If I wanted to make this non-alcoholic, what would you suggest to sub for the wine?
Hi Jessica,
We haven’t tested this recipe without the wine and brandy so this is just a guess. You could substitute 12 ounces of white grape juice (or additional apple cider) + 12 ounces water or sparkling water for the wine. You can just leave out the brandy as that ingredient is optional anyhow.
The ingredients list includes cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise, however they are not included in the directions. Should those be added with the apples? If so, do you recommend using a cheesecloth or just dropping them in and straining them out before serving? Thank you.
Hi Kelsey,
Sorry that was unclear in the recipe – I’ve updated it to reflect that the cinnamon sticks, cloves and star anise are added to the apple juice along with the sliced apples. You can wrap them in cheesecloth for easy removal, however, we just tossed them in there didn’t worry too much about straining them out – totally your preference!