Sparkling apple cider sangria

This was the second mock/cocktail offering I tried for a recent party. The pomegranate seeds make it look suitably festive.

Sparkling apple cider sangria

From thekitchn.com

Ingredients

2 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

½ cup cognac (if making the cocktail version)

2 cups apple cider

750 ml bottle of cava or other dry sparkling wine, chilled (or an equal amount of seltzer water or club soda for the mocktail version)

¼ cup pomegranate seeds, divided

Method

Add apples to pitcher. Add cognac, apple cider and chilled cava. Stir. Fill pitcher with ice and half the pomegranate seeds. Serve in ice-filled glasses with pomegranate seeds for optional garnish. (For the mocktail version, skip the cognac and add club soda instead of cava.)

Rating: This was very tasty as a cocktail. Very simple, but hard to go wrong, and it looked pretty with the pomegranate seeds. The mocktail wasn’t bad, but it obviously didn’t have nearly the robust flavor of the cognac-laced version, and was eclipsed by the other mocktail option I offered. I’d definitely make the boozy version again, but probably wouldn’t bother with the mocktail, which is sort of like watered-down fizzy cider, so you might as well serve sparkling cider. 

The original recipe called for using some of the apple slices in the serving glass, but I thought that looked like one of those things that was great for pictures, but kind of annoying for guests trying to drink, so I skipped it, and I think that was good call.

Make ahead: I sliced the apples early in the afternoon of the party, and left them in the cognac and apple cider mixture, which meant they didn’t discolor. I added the cava right before serving.