Fall into the Season with Sangria

The days are getting a little cooler, the ice cream lines a bit shorter, and the leaves a shade darker - and for once, we're excited about it. As we say good-bye to sandals, shorts and SPF 50, we happily welcome autumnal colors, weather, and best of all - flavors.

But change is never easy, and the transition from summer to fall should be a smooth one - right down to the cocktail in your hand. With this in mind, Sandeman Porto created this Ciderhouse Sangria, featuring Sandeman Founders Reserve Porto.

While similar in approach to the summer sangria you know and love, this crowd-pleasing creation boasts autumn's most prized flavor components. Sandeman Founders Reserve serves as an ideal foundation for notes of apple, maple and spice to interlace seamlessly, with the end result calling forth memories of apple picking, campfire stories and - of course - sprints into leaf piles.

Sandeman Ciderhouse Sangria

Ingredients
1 bottle of Sandeman Founders Reserve Porto
24 oz apple cider
3 oz rye whiskey
1.5 oz maple syrup
2 Granny Smith apples
2 pears

Directions
Dice apples and set aside. Mix all ingredients together in pitcher. Add in apples. Let sit for at least 12 hours.

So as you pack up the grill, lawn chairs and picnic baskets, feel free to leave out those drink pitchers. Because while some aspects of summer are gone - the best ones are here to stay.