Thirsty Thursday: Christmas Honeycrisp Apple Sangria

Dad: "I have been watching you on TV."

Megan: "You have been watching me on TV?"

Dad: "Yes, Fort Myers has been the hottest place in the country."

Yes that's right, it's 80 degrees here in sunny Florida. I am in the land of beautiful weather and palm trees sparkling with Christmas lights. So as you can imagine, even though it's Christmas time, warm drinks just aren't at the top of my list. But I do really love Christmas flavors, so much that I'm almost tempted to crank up the air conditioning and enjoy a nice cup of Amber's Mulled Cider but this warm winter weather is forcing me to branch out and try something new.

This year will be the first time I won't be heading home to the Pacific Northwest for Christmas. So to cheer myself up and to make it feel like Christmas in Florida, I decided to host a holiday cookie making party for some of my friends from volleyball. Brett and her husband, Troy, run Fort Myers Beach Volleyball Club and they have been so good to me (they don't know me that well yet).  It has been my life saver.   But back to the subject at hand: what's the best cocktail to serve while baking?

Brett & Laurie (aka Frenchie) not making cookies but drinking!

I know there are a lot of you out there who are discovering Pinterest and are as addicted as we are. I have 846 good ideas stocked up and ready to use and I decided to start with this one! When I saw the original recipe for Honey Crisp Apple Sangria on pinterest, posted from Nutmeg Nanny, I knew I had to try it. I just recently discovered the delicious Honeycrisp Apple and since then they seem to pop up everywhere, I even heard someone at the grocery store (where I spend many hours each week provisioning for the boat) raving about them. They're the perfect apple, sweet and crispy.

I dragged my heals because this looked a little complicated but it actually only takes about 10 minutes the night before plus the time it takes to slice up an apple the following day. Here is my slightly modified version:

My improvised sangria containers - I made two batches

Christmas Honeycrisp Apple Sangria:
adapted from Nutmeg Nanny

Combine in container/pitcher the night before:

1 Large Bottle Chardonnay
1 Honeycrisp Apple (Chopped)
1 Lime (quartered)
1 Lemon (quartered)
2 Cuties (Clementines, quartered)
3 Large Slices Fresh Ginger
1/4 Cup Honey
2 Sticks of Cinnamon
4 Whole Cloves

When you're ready to serve:
Cinnamon
Sugar
1 Honeycrisp Apple
2 Cuties (Clementines)

When mixing the ingredients the night before, mix the chardonnay with the honey first so it is completely mixed in. Add fruit and additional ingredients. Cover and refrigerate. Strain the mixture when you are ready to serve. Combine cinnamon & sugar to taste (I love it with extra cinnamon and not too much sugar) and coat rim of glass. Serve over ice. The original recipe suggests adding club soda, but why water it down?

This was sooo yummy! I would totally made again. We had a great time but got a little well, um, distracted and not many Christmas cookies were baked. And I also spent a day recovering which is why this Thirsty Thursday is a few days late. But hey, we're in the holiday season, every day is a good day for a cocktail!

We also got to hang with these cuties:

My Mini me -she also has a love of makeup

Ti told me I had pretty hair - he is welcome back any time