31 Festive Apple Cider Cocktail Recipes We Love

This simple and tasty recipe makes a pitcher’s worth of margaritas to ring in the fall season.

Using silver tequila, you can taste the alcohol right off the bat.

The combination of apple cider and lemon makes for a great substitute for the usual lime and orange associated with the original margarita recipe.

Check out other fall tequila cocktails for more recipes like this one!

Apple cider champagne melds the flavors of fall into one delicious cocktail, combining apple cider, champagne, and vodka with rich maple syrup and fall spices.

The dryness of the champagne balances the sweetness of the maple-infused apple cider.

The dash of cinnamon and nutmeg leaves a spicy finish that adds complexity and elegance.

I like to serve this cocktail for brunch.

Even if you’re not suffering from a sore throat, a hot toddy will still warm you up from the inside out!

Usually, a whiskey-spiked hot tea with honey, this recipe is a major upgrade, using hot apple cider instead of hot water.

Another key upgrade is the use of smokey yet smooth bourbon, not to mention a slew of aromatic spices like star anise and cinnamon.

The ultimate brunch cocktail, mimosas are versatile cocktails that taste great with any fruit juice, whether it’s the peach bellini or this Apple Cider Mimosa recipe. 

Get ready for an extra alcoholic kick from brandy, which makes this mimosa a heavier cocktail to weather the colder morning.

If you don’t have a good bottle of brandy, I recommend dark rum.

You can summon a beach vacation and honor the fall in one festive cocktail with this refreshing rum cocktail.

Mojitos are a Cuban masterpiece, and this recipe honors the classic cocktail’s elaboration of muddling lime, sugar, and mint together before adding rum.

The only thing that differentiates this recipe from the classic is the addition of apple cider along with soda water.

While we’re listing off the classics, here’s another fall iteration of a staple vodka cocktail.

Moscow Mules consist of lime, vodka, and ginger beer.

This fall take substitutes lemon juice for lime juice and adds equal amounts of apple cider, vodka, and ginger beer.

I love the combination of spicy ginger and apples in this recipe.

Check out other fall vodka cocktails to try!

Old Fashioned cocktails are another timeless cocktail that has long been an elegant sipping drink perfectly balanced with sweetness and bitterness.

The Apple Cider Old Fashioned has you muddle brown sugar with bitters before adding bourbon and apple cider.

The combination of apple and brown sugar with the rich, smokey bourbon reminded me of a caramel apple. 

The beauty of sangria is that it showcases the seasonal bounty of fruits, and this Apple Cider Sangria offers a cornucopia of fall flavors from fruit to fall spices.

Plus, it’s a dangerously alcoholic cocktail masked by the numerous fruits and sweet apple cider.

This sangria recipe uses sparkling wine like prosecco along with brandy and whiskey! 

Another cocktail that’ll leave in the warmth, this Fireball Apple Cider uses cinnamon-infused whiskey (Fireball being the popular choice) in conjunction with apple cider and cherry syrup. 

The richness and heftiness of the cherry syrup and apple cider are perfect complements for a fiery cinnamon whiskey.

I like to garnish with a toothpick skewer of maraschino cherries and jazz apple slices.

Adding butter to anything makes it better!

This recipe is a fall twist on the classic rum cocktail that pairs melted butter, dark rum, and spices in a hot mug. 

Hot Buttered Apple Cider takes it a step further by blending the butter with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice before adding hot cider and rum. 

The Poisoned Apple Cider Cocktail is a spiced rum cocktail that combines apple cider, pomegranate juice, and grenadine for a luscious blood-red appearance.

With the addition of gold luster dust, this cocktail alone looks like it was brewed in a witch’s cauldron.

I recommend this cocktail as a Halloween cocktail table centerpiece!

This simple and tasteful cocktail is both stunning to look at and delightfully refreshing.

Aperol spritzes are a refreshing sparkling wine and bitters drink with a dash of citrus to add a much-needed tang.

This Aperol Spritz recipe adds spiced apple cider to the mix, bringing fall flavors.

I was especially impressed with the fall color spectrum, starting with deep gold at the bottom of the glass, fading to light peach

This mouthful of a title translates into a mouthful of flavor.

If you like smokey cocktails than this Smoked Cinnamon Apple Cider Smash will be your new favorite drink.

Not only do you get the smokiness from the bourbon, but this recipe has you infuse your cocktail glass with a smoking cinnamon stick both before and after you’ve mixed the drink!

Manhattans are elegant bourbon cocktails with a trifecta of bitter, smokey, and sweet flavors.

This Apple Cider Manhattan uses orange bitters, sweet vermouth, and bourbon in combination with apple cider and a drop of maple syrup.

It’s both easy to prepare and impressively complex.

Don’t forget the luxardo cherry garnish to make it an official Manhattan!

One of my favorite fall treats growing up is the caramel-coated apple.

This Caramel Apple Cider Cocktail floods my tastebuds with nostalgia, using caramel-flavored vodka and butterscotch schnapps with apple cider.

This cocktail has child-like whimsy, and you’d never guess it was alcoholic.

It’s rich and sweet, so one glass will be enough to fuel your holiday evening. 

Another caramel apple-inspired cocktail, this luxurious brunch cocktail simulates both the taste and texture of a caramel apple.

I thought this recipe was especially clever, using cinnamon sugar and caramel sauce for the rim.

You get the caramel coating first, before getting a mouthful of apple and bubbly champagne. It was just like biting into a caramel apple!

Mulled apple cider is already “spiking” apple cider with a slew of aromatic spices.

This Hot Spiked Mulled Apple Cider has you create a spicy mulled apple cider, boiling it with whole cloves, ginger, cinnamon sticks, allspice, and star anise.

The alcoholic spike to this rich spiced cider comes in the form of spiced rum. You’ll get spice and heat with every sip.

Whiskey sours showcase the unlikely yet heavenly marriage of smokey and sour.

This Apple Cider Whiskey Sour adds sweetness and spice to the mix with apple cider and homemade cinnamon simple syrup.

Making simple syrup may sound daunting, but it’s as easy as throwing sugar, water, and cinnamon sticks into a pot to boil.

This simple syrup recipe is enough to make multiple cocktails.

This luxurious cognac cocktail features equal parts apple cider and cognac with a dash of Cointreau and lemon juice.

The richness of the cognac and apple cider gets a bright citrus kick that rounds out the flavor profile.

Cognac is a classy spirit known for its smooth finish, and this sidecar recipe goes down a little too easily!

Amaretto is one of my favorite ingredients to add a delicious almond flavor to desserts, gelato, and now, cocktails!

Apples and almonds never tasted better, with this easy three-ingredient cocktail that combines amaretto liqueur, apple cider, and caramel sauce.

It’s basically dessert in a glass, plus it’s got low alcohol-by-volume content.

This cocktail is the height of fall flavors, consisting of bourbon, maple, and spiced apple cider.

I like how you can choose to make this cocktail hot or cold.

I opted for a hot cocktail, which intensified the flavor of maple and the smokiness of bourbon.

This recipe yields two cocktails, for a cozy date night.

You can let the kids have donuts while you enjoy an adult twist on your favorite childhood breakfast.

This Apple Cider Donut Martini compartmentalizes the flavors of a donut, starting with the sugar and cinnamon rim.

The piece de resistance is the homemade vanilla simple syrup which blends with unsweetened apple cider and vodka to make the most sophisticated take on a donut I’ve ever tasted.

The ultimate boozy brunch cocktail, this cocktail will light a fire in your belly.

It’s an easy recipe to throw into a pitcher as you whip up a holiday brunch.

In addition to apple cider and sparkling wine, these mimosas get a hearty pour of cinnamon whiskey.  

This fall-inspired rum punch will be a hit at your next party. It’s easy to make and easy to multiply and serve in a punch bowl. 

You spice the rum by stirring in your favorite fall spices with rum and lemon juice.

The apple cider comes in last, adding a bright sweetness to the rich spiced rum.

I always imagine spiked apple cider as a hot beverage, but this recipe is as cold and refreshing as can be! It’s another user-friendly three-ingredient cocktail consisting of black spiced rum, apple cider, and ginger ale.

Black spiced rum is a special treat, with strong notes of black molasses and spices that perfectly capture fall flavors. 

A cross between a cosmo and a martini, this Apple Cider Martini is sweet, delicate, and the color of fall leaves.

Martinis are simple cocktails that are only as good as their ingredients. 

Therefore, I recommend a high-quality, smooth vodka and pure apple cider, and cranberry juice that have no other additives.

I was unaware that ginger liqueur existed before discovering this complex and sophisticated rose cocktail.

Sparkling apple cider is a lighter, fizzier form of apple cider that pairs well with rose. 

The ginger liqueur adds a seriously spicy kick that makes for a memorable finish.

I served this elegant cocktail at a dinner party to wide acclaim. 

Salt is a key ingredient in every dessert because it balances the sweetness and enhances the underlying flavors.

Salted Caramel is the literal salting of sugar to bring out the unique flavors of caramelization. 

Salted Caramel vodka gives you the richness of the dessert without overpowering you with sweetness.

This Apple Cider Cocktail is the perfect combination of apple, caramel, and ginger without being overly sweet or spicy.

This easy, three-ingredient recipe has you throw whiskey, lemon juice, and apple cider into a shaker with ice for a refreshing sweet and sour cocktail ready in thirty seconds.

I like to reward myself with an Apple Cider Whiskey Smash after a long workday as it takes no time to make.

This warm and cozy cocktail has you make upgrades on store-bought apple cider by boiling it with whole spices, apples, and oranges.

The next step is to add the piping hot cider to mugs or round cocktail glasses that have a shot of bourbon waiting. This comforting cocktail is perfect for cold winter nights.

Apples and oranges are usually pitted against each other, perhaps because of the notorious comparison of apples and oranges.

However unlikely their pairing may sound, this Cognac Apple Cider is proof that apples and oranges are great compliments!

This simple cocktail recipe creates a pitcher of cognac, apple cider, and orange liqueur blended into a smooth rich drink.