Serve this apple cider bourbon cocktail at upcoming holiday parties and events. It has all of the best seasonal flavors and is as refreshing as it is cozy.
Is it happy hour yet? It has to be somewhere. And you deserve a great cocktail because life is too short for sub-par drinks.
This is something that I would never have predicted would make it on this site. I’m juuuuuust starting to be someone who is warming up to bourbon and I have to say, I’m getting there, albeit slowly. But I love making cocktails at home because it feels like our own lounge or like I’m in a movie or something.
While I’m usually partial to margaritas and mules, I tend to lose my taste for them in the cooler months and for some reason I couldn’t get an apple cider bourbon cocktail out of my head. Sort of like a “Kentucky mule” but with cider to make it extra fall.
Here’s what you need to make it:
Ingredients
- bourbon, which just screams fall with notes of caramel and oak
- apple cider (or a good quality apple juice, see below)
- lime juice, fresh-squeezed of course!
- ginger beer (I love Fever Tree)
- garnishes of choice – I used apple and lime slices, ginger and a cinnamon stick because it just seemed right here. Garnishes really “make” a cocktail I think.
Making a fun and delicious drink at home is such a unique skill. How fun to be able to offer this to a guest? Get really fancy and shake up the ingredients in a cocktail shaker before topping with ginger beer in the glass. If you don’t have one, you can either use or a mason jar or just stir. We don’t have to get complicated here!
Ingredient Questions
Yes. There is a difference between the two (see: apple cider vs apple juice for more on this). But I know it can be hard to find apple cider, and it’s a lot more expensive. I think cider makes it more fresh tasting and gives it a rich color. If you use juice, try to find a quality fresh-pressed option like Simply Apple (which is fairly easy to find).
Whatever you have and love. Don’t go too expensive, or bottom of the barrel either. I used buffalo trace and thought it worked great.
I wouldn’t recommend it. Ginger beer is spicier and less sweet than ginger ale and just tends to work better in cocktails.
I like serving these in a tall glass with lot’s of ice to keep it really cold. It’s kind of like a mule, so I suppose you could also use a copper mug if you wanted!
For something heavy on fall flavors that’s not a hot drink, this is a winner. It has just a few simple ingredients and no fancy equipment required. Pretty soon you’ll be the resident mixologist with your friends.
More impressive cocktails:
PrintBourbon Apple Ginger Fizz
Serve this apple cider bourbon cocktail at upcoming holiday parties and events. It has all of the best seasonal flavors and is as refreshing as it is cozy.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 cocktail 1x
- Category: Drinks, Cocktails
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1.5 ounces (1 shot) bourbon
- 1/4 cup apple cider
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 ounce ginger beer
- garnishes: fresh lime, ginger, apple & cinnamon sticks
Instructions
- Fill a glass or mason jar with ice (about 2/3 to the top).
- Add bourbon, cider, and lime juice, Stir well.
- Top with ginger beer and garnish with apple, lime, ginger & a cinnamon stick. Serve immediately.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
- The equipment section above includes affiliate links to things I use often in my kitchen and recommend.
- This cocktail is so easy to scale if making for a group. You can also make it ahead of time. Just be sure to wait on adding the ginger beer until just before serving or it will go flat.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cocktail
- Calories: 150
- Fat: 0 grams
- Carbohydrates: 12 grams
- Fiber: 0 grams
- Protein: 0 grams
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Haley P says
I was in search of a fun cocktail for a holiday party with friends! I made this for everyone and it was a hit!! So flavorful and perfect for the holidays – or any occasion really!