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20 Apple Cider Cocktail Recipes To Spice Up Your Evening

October 31, 2022 by Louisa Davies

Celebrate the chilly season by sipping on these delicious apple cider cocktail recipes, packed with flavour, and ideal to share with your loved ones to warm up. From spicy twists to the classics like Mojitos and Margaritas to decadent dessert-like cocktails, apple cider is the real star of the show for your new favourite cocktails. 

1. Mulled Apple Cider 

Mulled Apple Cider

Get ready for the ultimate hot apple cider cocktail recipe for your holidays, with all the colours of fall thanks to the bright orange and red fruits! You just need apple cider, oranges, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cranberries and ginger. This recipe is easy to prepare beforehand and reheat on the special day. What’s more, the simmering apple and spices will make your house smell incredible. 

2. Bourbon Apple Cider Cocktail 

Close up of Bourbon Apple Cider cocktails on the rocks with fresh apple garnish

Give your apple cider a grown-up twist with this bourbon apple cider cocktail recipe. Mixed with apple cider, ginger beer and all the spices, it’s the perfect drink to warm you up on a cosy winter evening in. Choose your favourite bourbon and make sure you get fresh apple cider and cinnamon sticks to nail the fall flavours. 

 3. Hot Apple Cider Cocktail 

Hot Apple Cider Cocktail

Keep warm on fall nights with a hot, steaming cup of this apple cider and bourbon cocktail recipe. Make your spiced cider with apple cider, orange juice, cinnamon and anise, then pour into a glass and top off with bourbon. This drink works as well if served cold! 

 4. Autumn Moscow Mule 

Apple cider mule cocktails with apple. cinnamon and star anise garnish

Take out your copper mug and get ready to make the best seasonal Moscow Mule. This classic cocktail starring vodka, ginger beer and lime gets a fall outfit thanks to the sweet, tart apple cider. You can also make your own salted caramel sauce and have a Halloween-ready cocktail that tastes just like candied apple.  

5. Apple Cider Margarita

Apple Cider Margarita

Summer and autumn flavours in the same cocktail? Yes, please! If a Margarita is your pool sipper of choice, you can’t miss out on this apple cider variation, that gives just the right amount of tang. Match the amount of tequila with apple cider for the perfect pour. Swap the salt rim for cinnamon sugar to give a pop of sweetness to each sip and you’ll have your new favorite fall go-to. You can also make a spicy variation using smoked mezcal or tequila. 

 6. Apple Cider Mimosa 

Apple Cider Mimosa

Who said brunch? If Mimosa sounded like a great Sunday pick me up, the apple cider Mimosa will add the extra cosiness you need. Plus, Mimosas are so easy to make and instantly elevate any celebration. Simply swap orange juice with apple cider and that’s it! Rim your champagne glass with gold and silver sprinkles for an extra sparkly touch. 

7. Apple Cider Hot Toddy 

The Hot Toddy gets a delightful spin for fall and winter with the addition of warm apple cider. You can choose whiskey or apple brandy to make this Hot Apple Toddy, the secret is in fresh-pressed cider for best results. You can sweeten it with honey, agave syrup or cinnamon syrup for a spicy touch. This hot cider drink will become your favourite for chilly evenings. 

8. Apple Pie Martini 

Apple Pie Martini

You can never have enough fruity Martini variations! The Apple Pie Martini is a must-do apple cider cocktail recipe for fall and it’s basically a pie in a glass. To make this drink you’ll need vodka, apple cider, cinnamon schnapps, simple syrup and apple pie spice. We suggest garnishing with graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and cinnamon rim for a decadent dessert drink for your holidays. 

9. Apple Cider Bellini 

Need a quick 3-ingredients fix for your holiday menu? This Apple Cider Bellini will become a Thanksgiving favourite, possibly all the way to spring! This easy cocktail recipe calls for apple cider vinegar, apple-flavoured vodka and bubbles, either prosecco or Champagne (the drier the bubbles the sweeter the cocktail). Garnish with rosemary or thyme for a sophisticated touch.  

10. Apple Cider Mojito 

Mint and cider might sound strange, but trust us, this drink is the epitome of refreshing! Plus, it tastes like a liquid caramel apple. Combining fresh lime, muddled mint, apple cider, rum and brown sugar simple syrup, this Mojito variation is ideal for fall days when the sun is still shining. Garnish with star anise, apple slices, cinnamon sticks and more mint! 

11. Apple Cider Spritz 

Loving the aperitif life? This drink is as crisp and bright as the best fall day. The Apple Cider Spritz gives the classic Aperol Spritz a fall outfit, with all the warmth of apple cider and pumpkin spices. You can also make a big batch filling a pitcher with apple cider and spices and topping it off with prosecco when your guests arrive. Cheers!  

12. Poison Apple Cocktail 

Close-up of Poison Apple cocktail on the rocks with sliced apple garnish

Don’t worry, the poison is just in the name. This seriously delicious apple cider cocktail is all about flavour and aesthetics, as it uses edible glitter for a cinematic swirl effect. Mix apple cider, cranberry juice, whiskey, grenadine and edible glitter, shake vigorously for about 30 seconds and serve.  

13. Apple Cider Old Fashioned 

Apple Cider Old Fashioned

Whiskey lovers, the perfect combination of fall and tradition is here. When you’re craving an Old Fashioned with an extra cosy kick, this apple cider twist will give you all you need. This recipe has only a few differences from the original. The first and obvious one is the addition of apple cider, the second is to swap sugar/simple syrup with maple syrup for a tasty je ne sais quoi. Garnish with orange peel and a cinnamon stick for the perfect fall concoction.  

14. Hot Buttered Rum 

Hot buttered rum with a cinnamon stick

Looking for a wizard-worthy, boozy butterbeer recipe? The Hot Buttered Rum is probably one of the best apple cider cocktail recipes: golden, creamy and with a foamy top that will give you a moustache when you drink it. Make the rum batter with softened butter, brown sugar, vanilla ice cream and ground cinnamon, heat the cider and combine all ingredients together in a mug with rum. Dumbledore approved! 

15. Pumpkin Pie Sangria 

Pumpkin Pie Sangria

¡Hola fall! It’s incredible how pumpkin goes with anything whenever fall starts, even this traditional Spanish drink. To make our wintery sangria, we infuse wine with apples and pears. Just add apple cider, pumpkin spice syrup, spiced rum and cinnamon and serve for Thanksgiving, friendsgiving or pumpkin carving party! 

16. Apple Pie Moonshine 

Refreshing Apple Moonhsine Cocktails served on the rocks with sliced apple and cinnamon stick garnishes

Prohibition might be over, but we still love an Apple Pie Moonshine! This autumn-flavoured cocktail is the break you need from pumpkin spice everything, packed with all the goodness of apple that you can enhance by simmering apple juice and apple cider with spices in advance. Moonshine is legal, but this drink is illegally good! 

17. Salted Caramel Apple Cider

Salted Caramel Apple Cider - pixabay 

Get ready for the ultimate fall crowd-pleaser: apple cider and salted caramel come together in this vodka-based cocktail, that is so simple but oh so good! You only need 3 ingredients: apple cider vinegar, salted caramel vodka and club soda to top off. If you can’t find flavoured vodka, garnish your drinks with a caramel drizzle. 

18. Fireball Apple Slushies 

Fireball Apple Cider Slushies

There’s a whole world beyond fireball shots and this recipe is a great start! These fireball apple slushies are the perfect serve for end-of-summer evenings and fall gatherings that call for a dessert in a glass. In a blender, combine fireball, apple cider vinegar and ice, then serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Fire and ice together! 

 19. Apple Pie Punch 

Filled with warm and fruity flavours, the Apple Pie Punch is one of the cocktail recipes with apple cider that you can serve warm or cold. It combines apple pie vodka, apple cider, pear nectar and ginger ale for the ultimate fall overflow. 

20. Apple Cider Manhattan 

Apple Cider Manhattan

Give this classic an autumn makeover with this super simple recipe. The Manhattan is a mix of whiskey, sweet vermouth and bitters and we add apple cider vinegar to the picture for a sweet and tart spin-off. Whiskey and apple work wonders together and we’re sure the Apple Cider Manhattan will become your new classic go-to. 

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