An apple cider margarita made with the blanco we rate is 1.7 standard drinks, because cider adds flavor and volume but no alcohol. The strongest drinks here, the Bourbon Apple Cider Mule, Apple Cider Margarita, and Applejack Cider Highball, are 1.7 each; the lightest, the Apple Cider Spritz, is 0.9. 10 of the 15 use a bottle we've reviewed, and none repeats our Thanksgiving apple cider old fashioned or mimosa.
1. Apple Cider Margarita
The margarita that owns the fall. Cider replaces some of the lime, and a cinnamon-sugar rim does the rest.
Recipe: 2 oz Cimarron Blanco, ½ oz Cointreau, ¾ oz fresh lime juice, 2 oz apple cider. Shake with ice, strain over fresh ice into a cinnamon-sugar-rimmed glass.
2. Sparkling Apple Cider Sangria
A white-sangria style pitcher: Prosecco, cider and a splash of Cognac over sliced apples and pears. Build the fruit and Cognac an hour ahead, and add the bubbles at the last minute. For a pitcher of 8, multiply by 8.
Recipe: 4 oz Prosecco (La Marca), 3 oz apple cider, 1 oz VS Cognac, sliced apples and pears, a cinnamon stick. Combine Cognac, cider and fruit, chill, then top with Prosecco and serve over ice.
3. Bourbon Apple Cider Mule
A Kentucky mule with fall in it. A 101-proof bourbon stands up to the ginger beer and cider.
Recipe: 2 oz Wild Turkey 101, 2 oz apple cider, ½ oz fresh lime juice, 3 oz ginger beer. Build over ice in a copper mug, top with ginger beer, stir once.
4. Hot Spiced Rye Cider
Warm spiced cider in the pot, a pour of 100-proof rye in the mug. Keeping the whiskey out of the pot is what keeps the drink strong.
Recipe: 1½ oz Rittenhouse Straight Rye Whisky BiB, 6 oz hot spiced apple cider. Pour the rye into a warm mug, top with hot cider, garnish with an orange peel and star anise.
5. Apple Cider Whiskey Sour
Bourbon, lemon and cider with a little maple to round it out. It's the sour to make by the pitcher for a fall party.
Recipe: 2 oz Elijah Craig Small Batch, ¾ oz fresh lemon juice, 1 oz apple cider, ¼ oz maple syrup. Shake with ice, strain over fresh ice, garnish with an apple wheel.
6. Apple Cider Gin Fizz
Gin's botanicals and tart cider are an easy match. Soda on top keeps it light enough for a long afternoon.
Recipe: 1½ oz Tanqueray London Dry Gin, ½ oz fresh lemon juice, ¼ oz simple syrup, 2 oz apple cider, 2 oz soda water. Shake gin, lemon, syrup and cider with ice, strain into a tall glass over ice, top with soda.
7. Apple Cider Rum Punch
Jamaican rum and aged rum together give cider more than sweetness. Per cup it's written for one; for a 12-cup bowl, multiply by 12 and use a large ice block so it doesn't water down.
Recipe: ¾ oz Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum, ¾ oz Appleton Estate 12 Year Old Rare Casks, 3 oz apple cider, ½ oz fresh lemon juice. Stir in a punch bowl over a large ice block, garnish with apple rings and cinnamon.
8. Apple Cider Spritz
The lightest drink here. Aperol, Prosecco and a splash of cider make the fall spritz.
Recipe: 2 oz Aperol, 3 oz Prosecco (La Marca), 1 oz apple cider. Build over ice in a wine glass, stir gently.
9. Apple Cider Paloma
Grapefruit soda and cider meet halfway between summer and fall. A clean blanco tequila keeps it bright.
Recipe: 2 oz Arette Blanco, 2 oz apple cider, ½ oz fresh lime juice, 2 oz grapefruit soda. Build over ice in a salt-rimmed glass, top with grapefruit soda.
10. Applejack Cider Highball
Apple brandy and apple cider, lengthened with soda. A bonded applejack gives it backbone.
Recipe: 2 oz Laird's Bottled-in-Bond apple brandy, 3 oz apple cider, 1 oz soda water. Build over ice in a tall glass, stir, garnish with a lemon twist.
11. Hot Scotch Cider
Blended malt Scotch, honey and hot cider. It's softer than a toddy and good by a fire.
Recipe: 1½ oz Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt Scotch Whisky, 5 oz hot apple cider, ¼ oz honey. Stir honey into hot cider in a warm mug, add the Scotch.
12. Apple Cider Martini
Vodka, cider and orange liqueur, shaken cold. It drinks like apple pie, which is why it disappears fast.
Recipe: 1½ oz vodka, 2 oz apple cider, ½ oz Cointreau. Shake hard with ice, strain into a chilled, cinnamon-sugar-rimmed glass.
13. Apple Cider Mojito
Mint, lime and an aged rum, with cider standing in for most of the sugar.
Recipe: 2 oz Mount Gay XO Reserve Cask, 2 oz apple cider, ¾ oz fresh lime juice, 1 oz soda water, 8 mint leaves. Gently muddle mint with lime, add rum and cider, fill with ice, top with soda.
14. Caramel Apple Bourbon Cocktail
Everything people love about a caramel apple, in a glass. Keep the caramel to a rim drizzle; the cider brings the sweetness.
Recipe: 1½ oz Maker's Mark Bourbon, 3 oz apple cider, ½ oz caramel syrup. Stir with ice, strain over a large cube in a caramel-drizzled glass.
15. Apple Cider Sidecar
The classic Cognac sidecar with a splash of cider to make it autumnal. Strong, short and elegant.
Recipe: 1½ oz VS Cognac, ¾ oz Cointreau, ½ oz fresh lemon juice, 1 oz apple cider. Shake with ice, strain into a sugar-rimmed coupe.
How Strong Is Each Apple Cider Cocktail?
A US standard drink is 0.6 fl oz of pure alcohol. Cider makes these taste gentle, but the spirit pour decides the strength.
| Cocktail | Pure alcohol | Standard drinks | Drinks per 750 ml bottle of the base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Cider Margarita | 1.00 oz | 1.7 | 12 |
| Sparkling Apple Cider Sangria | 0.84 oz | 1.4 | 6 |
| Bourbon Apple Cider Mule | 1.01 oz | 1.7 | 12 |
| Hot Spiced Rye Cider | 0.75 oz | 1.3 | 16 |
| Apple Cider Whiskey Sour | 0.94 oz | 1.6 | 12 |
| Apple Cider Gin Fizz | 0.71 oz | 1.2 | 16 |
| Apple Cider Rum Punch | 0.75 oz | 1.3 | 33 |
| Apple Cider Spritz | 0.55 oz | 0.9 | 8 |
| Apple Cider Paloma | 0.80 oz | 1.3 | 12 |
| Applejack Cider Highball | 1.00 oz | 1.7 | 12 |
| Hot Scotch Cider | 0.65 oz | 1.1 | 16 |
| Apple Cider Martini | 0.80 oz | 1.3 | 16 |
| Apple Cider Mojito | 0.86 oz | 1.4 | 12 |
| Caramel Apple Bourbon | 0.68 oz | 1.1 | 16 |
| Apple Cider Sidecar | 0.90 oz | 1.5 | 16 |
Pure alcohol is each pour multiplied by the ABV on our review of that bottle, plus: Cointreau 40%; La Marca Prosecco 11%; VS Cognac 40%, the legal minimum for Cognac; Aperol 11%; Laird's Bottled-in-Bond apple brandy 50%, the bonded proof; vodka at 40%, the federal minimum (27 CFR 5.142); a stronger bottle adds more. Bitters dashes and syrups are left out. One standard drink is 0.6 fl oz of pure alcohol (NIAAA). Ice and shaking add water, not alcohol, so dilution does not change these figures.
Should You Spike the Pot of Hot Cider?
No. Put the spirit in each mug. In the USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6, alcohol stirred into a hot liquid and taken off the heat kept 85% of its alcohol. Simmered for 15 minutes it kept 40%, and after an hour only 25%.
- Hot Spiced Rye Cider: 1.3 standard drinks poured into the mug, about 1.1 as you drink it; left simmering an hour in the pot, about 0.3
- Hot Scotch Cider: 1.1 standard drinks poured into the mug, about 0.9 as you drink it; left simmering an hour in the pot, about 0.3
A spiked pot also leaves non-drinkers nothing to drink. Keep the cider warm on the stove and the bottle on the counter.
How Much to Buy for a Fall Party
For 20 guests having 2 apple cider margaritas each, you need 80 oz of tequila: 4 bottles at 25.4 oz each. The rum punch uses 0.75 oz of each rum per cup, so a 12-cup bowl takes 9 oz of each, under half a bottle.