*This blog post is sponsored by Local Hive Honey. Your support on my sponsored posts and recipes continues to allow me to provide you with delicious recipes!*

I will never say no to a delicious cocktail, especially when it's made with apple cider. This honey apple cider sangria combines two of my favorite things: apple cider and honey. It's quite literally fall in a glass and I cannot wait to make it again for the holidays.

Honey Apple Cider Sangria

You need to make this honey apple cider sangria. It's not only incredibly on trend for this season, but the taste is magical. It's refreshing, satisfying, and doesn't have to be just for the fall. The Oregon Blackberry honey from the Harvest Reserve gift box brings an additional flavor profile that is unexpected, yet absolutely delicious to the cocktail. The blend of apple cider, honey, and the wine itself its unmatched, and a great sipping drink when gathered with your favorite people.

What is Apple Cider Sangria?

Simply put: apple cider sangria is a blend of wine, some sort of liquor, and apple cider. We add in the honey to give it a natural sweetener, and mix it all up and pour over ice. Sangria is essentially a blend of wine with a brandy or liquor, tossed with fruit. We add in apples at the end as a garnish, but because we use apple cider and the addition of honey, we don't need to muddle any fruit. It's deliciously sweet as it is!

Why add the honey?

Well, why not?! Local Hive Honey has incredible varieties of honey, all from regions across the country. The honey that is used in this recipe, the Oregon Blackberry, is part of their Harvest Reserve gift box, and is the perfect sweet addition to this cocktail. Some folks may add agave to their sangria or cocktails, but I am telling you here and now, HONEY is it, honey :) Plus, you can grab some for yourself at their site using my code NOMASTE15 to get 15% off your purchase.

How do I pair this cocktail?

This delicious drink pairs really well with many different dishes, such as my veggie pasta bake, turkey chili, or served on a Thanksgiving table with my sweet potato casserole on the side. Apple cider brings a warmth to the drink, and with the Oregon Blackberry honey, any recipe.

Ingredients

Making this honey apple cider sangria doesn't take more than just four ingredients, with the honey being the true star in this recipe:

• White wine: I used a pinot grigio, but a chardonnay works great too
• Apple Cider: of course, for this cocktail we need apple cider. I used a 100% organic gala apple cider.
• Grand Marnier: Adds a little more flavor and of course, more alcohol
• Honey: I cannot say enough about Local Hive Honey and their products. This cocktail won't be the same without honey, so explore their website or find them at your local Whole Foods for this cocktail. You'll be happy you did!

Directions

1. Fill a large shaker cup with ice to the top
2. Pour in the cider, white wine, honey and stir vigorously to incorporate the honey.
3. Add the grand marnier and stir again.
4. Pour into a rocks or cocktail glass with ice and garnish with an apple skewer.

Tips for making this sangria

For this cocktail to be the star of your next gathering, remember a few things:

1. MIX the honey in to the liquids well! You want to make sure it does not clump, so mix, mix, mix, and mix again!
2. If you want a nice balance of cider, honey, and wine follow a 3/2/1 approach: 3 oz cider, 2 oz wine, 1 tbsp honey. BUT, I would say add more honey, but that's just me.