Boozey Apple Cider Sangria

First of all, I wanted to sincerely thank each and every one of you who reached out and personally left me words of encouragement & get well wishes over the last couple of days.  It was especially inspiring for me to come home after my surgery and read some of your own real life stories of your personal struggles with infertility.  I truly thank you for being so brave and sharing your journey for me and others to read.

These past couple of days have been pretty low key for me with lots of laying around resting in my sweats, and eating copious amounts of matzo ball soup {my hubby makes the BEST matzo ball soup}, saltine crackers, and ginger ale.  Whenever I'm feeling under the weather, this comfort food combo is the only thing that I seem to want to eat.  

Now, onto this amazing cocktail that I made last Friday for Halloween.  Adam & I sipped on this sangria as we passed out candy to our trick-or-treaters, and it is so, so good.  Like dangerously good since it tastes just like apple pie {no joke!} but packs a punch that can definitely creep up on you fast.  It's loaded with sliced apples, combined with spiced cider and crisp prosecco for a bubbly finish.  For this recipe, I also chose a higher end bourbon since I wanted a smoother finish, but any old bottle of bourbon will do the trick.  Plus boys seem to like bourbon, so they don't feel like this is too much of a girly drink...always a bonus!  :)

I can definitely see myself making this over the Thanksgiving holiday when my family comes to visit and am positive this will be a big hit with them!

Hope you give this a try & love it as much as we did!  xx

Ingredients

32 oz apple cider {I used an organic, no sugar added variety purchased from Whole Foods}
2 cinnamon sticks, plus more for garnish
6 whole cloves
1/2 cup bourbon
1 green apple, thinly sliced
1 red apple, thinly sliced {I used red delicious which turned out to be too soft and fell apart in the sangria, I would recommend using a crisper variety}
2 cups ice cubes
1 bottle Prosecco or sparkling wine


Directions

Combine the cider, cinnamon sticks & cloves in a medium stockpot and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and gently simmer for 20 minutes.  Set aside and cool to room temperature.

Next, strain the cider into a large pitcher discarding cinnamon sticks & cloves.  Add the bourbon, and apple slices.  Stir to combine and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours to allow flavors to intensify.

When ready to serve, add the ice cubes and sparkling wine.  Pour into martini or wine glasses, and garnish with a fresh cinnamon stick.

Have a happy weekend!