Honeycrisp Apple Sangria

Although Sangria is usually associated with Summer, I found a great Honeycrisp Apple Sangria recipe, which would be perfect for this time of year...

A Fall twist on the typical fruity cocktail.

The below sangria recipe mixes fragrant flavors of ginger, cloves and cinnamon.

For a finishing touch, add cinnamon sugar to the rim of the glass.

                                         Honeycrisp Apple Sangria

yield: 5 - 6 CUPS

prep time: 20 MINUTES + OVERNIGHT SITTING

cook time: 0 MINUTES

total time:30 MINUTES + OVERNIGHT SITTING

INGREDIENTS:

2 honeycrisp apples
One 750-milliliter bottle Chardonnay
1/2 cup peach schnapps
1/4 cup orange blossom honey
2 oranges- 1 quartered
1 lemon - quartered
1 lime - quartered
2 cinnamon sticks
2 quarter-size slices of fresh ginger
3 whole cloves
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Ice
Club soda

Source:  Food and Wine Magazine

DIRECTIONS:

Peel, core and chop one of the apples. In a bowl, combine the Chardonnay, schnapps and honey. Add the quartered orange, lemon, lime, cinnamon sticks, chopped apple, ginger and cloves and refrigerate overnight. (If you don't want to wait that long at least give it 4 hours)

Strain the sangria into a pitcher. Peel, core and finely chop the remaining apple. Peel, section and chop the remaining orange. Mix the apple and orange in a bowl.

On a small plate, blend the sugar and cinnamon. Moisten the rims of wine glasses and dip in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Fill the glasses with ice. Pour in the sangria until three-quarters full. Top with a splash of club soda. Garnish with a spoonful of the chopped apple and orange.