How To Give Your Sangria Recipe A Fall Flavor Spin

There's nothing quite as crisp and refreshing as a fruity, sweet sangria to keep you cool on a hot summer day. Typically enjoyed during warm, Mediterranean-like weather, we wanted to know if it's possible to keep the party going into the fall season. We spoke with Derek Crow, the lead Bartender at Bar Zazu in Resorts World Las Vegas to get his input on how to evolve a summertime drink into a festive fall favorite. Crow, who recently took home first place in a Spain-hosted cocktail-making competition, was the perfect person to ask, considering the boozy fruit punch originated in Spain and Portugal.  

According to Crow, you should try "adding other citruses like a locally sourced nonfiltered rich apple cider. Swap the wine you use for a much drier red like a cabernet, merlot, or even a zinfandel to create a more rich and juicy cocktail." Sangria is a heavily spiced drink, so another easy way to up the autumn flavors is to add typical fall spices like cinnamon, allspice, or nutmeg.

For a fall-themed white sangria, Crow says you should consider combining pear, lemon, and lime juice because these flavors "can brighten the drink and provide a sweet yet tart flavor. Adding spices like cinnamon and clove tie in the fall flavors. A white fall sangria would be great with a pinot grigio base and/or blonde rum." The beautiful thing about sangria is there is no one right way to make a delicious version of it, which makes experimentation much less daunting. 

Mixing wine with spices dates back thousands of years ago, however, today's, more universally recognizable version of sangria, comes from 18th and 19th-century Spain, when Andulisians began using local wine and seasonal produce to concoct a party cocktail. Since then, red and white sangria have become synonymous with festive community gatherings. Once you have your ideal combinations of flavors, there is a simple trick to figuring out what food to pair with your sangria: Use the wine in the cocktail as your guide.

So if you were to make Derek Crow's fall version of a red sangria with cabernet or merlot, you'd want to serve it with a steak or red-meat forward dish. A white sangria with pinot grigio would pair excellently with a white fish or a dish featuring lots of garlic and/or herbs like parsley, chives, tarragon, and thyme. Regardless of what you serve these drinks with, the important thing is to make enough food to share, because the alcohol will certainly be flowing.