Spiked Apple Cider
This grown-up spiked apple cider is so quintessentially fall that a single sip will get you in the mood for sweaters and scarves! The combo of tart cider, cozy spices, and a whisper of velvety bourbon is perfect to take the chill off. Plus, it's super easy to make for one or for a crowd!
🔍 Recipe At-A-Glance: Spiked Apple Cider
- ⏰ Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🕰️ Cook Time: 10 minutes
- ⏲️ Total Time: 15 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 4 (but can be easily doubled or tripled)
- 🎃 Good For: Pumpkin carving parties, fall potlucks, Friendsgiving, Thanksgiving, fall festivals, random Tuesdays when you need a treat
- 👩🏻🍳 Flavor Profile: Tanging, sweet, tons of classic fall spices, warming bite thanks to the bourbon
- 🧙♀️ Great for a Crowd: Keep it warming in a slow cooker for parties!
- 🧡 Difficulty: If you can boil water, you can make this.
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🧡 Why You'll Love This Recipe
Hey friend: It doesn't feel like fall until I've had my first mug of cozy, spicy, hot spiked apple cider! I spike my apple cider with bourbon because, hello, I was born in Kentucky, but also the flavor of bourbon blends perfectly with the sweet tartness of apple cider.
Here's why you'll love this recipe:
- So Flavorful: Tart and sweet cider gets even more delicious after you mull it with oranges and classic fall spices similar to what I use in my caramel apple pie and pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting.
- Easy As Pie: If you can boil water, you can make this spiked apple cider recipe.
- Boozy & Cozy: Bourbon is the perfect partner to apple cider, making a mug of this so cozy and warming.
- Great For Groups: Double or triple this recipe and keep the apple cider hot in a slow cooker for satisfying sips during your entire Halloween party. It pairs perfectly with my Halloween cheese board for a seriously satisfying party refreshments!
🍏 The Ingredients You Need
- Apple cider: Just like for my apple cider sangri, and apple cider mimosas, you're looking to use apple cider here, not apple juice. Use leftovers to make my spinach and apple smoothie or rosé sangria recipe!
- Oranges: Add a tangy, citrusy zest to the final hot cider. Any oranges will do.
- Whole spices: I recommend cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and star anise. Ground spices will make your finished cider gritty.
- Bourbon: Just like with my bourbon blondies and bourbon peach jam, no need to use your spendy top-shelf bourbon here! Any middle-of-the-road bourbon will do the trick.
Make sure to check the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, along with quantities and my expert tips and tricks.
🔁 Substitutions & Variations
- Make it in the slow cooker: Pour everything but the garnish into the basin of your slow cooker and set it to low. Set the brown sugar, orange and apple slices, and/or extra cinnamon sticks off to the side, so people can deck out their own glasses when they get refills.
- Use spiced rum: This spiked apple cider is also great with spiced rum.
- Skip the added sweetener: Depending on the sweetness of your apple cider, you might want to omit the syrup completely.
- Make to non-alcoholic: Just don't add the bourbon (or use an alcohol removed bourbon)! The mulled hot apple cider will still be super yummy.
🍎 How to Make Spiked Apple Cider
Step 1: Combine the apple cider, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and oranges in a saucepan.
Step 2: Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Step 3: Pour the cider through a sieve to remove the spices (or you can leave them in and just ladle around them when serving).
Step 4: Add bourbon and maple syrup.
Step 5: Rim the glass with brown sugar, if desired (see recipe for full instructions) and garnish with apple or orange slices, cinnamon sticks, or star anise pods.
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🙋🏻♀️ Spiked Apple Cider FAQs
Bourbon, spiced rum, and apple brandy are all great choices.
It sure does. Stash any leftover spiked cider in the refrigerator for up to a week.
👩🏻🍳 My Expert Tips & Tricks
- Use whole spices: This infuses the flavor of the spices without adding gritty, grainy ground spices to the cider.
- Don't go spice overboard: You might be tempted to add more cloves, more star anise, or more cinnamon-slow your roll. These are powerful whole spices that can quickly overwhelm. Start small.
- Apple cider not apple juice: Apple cider has much more apple-y flavor than apple juice (you can use apple juice in my apple jelly recipe, though).
🍁More Fall Cocktails to Try
If you tried this Spiked Apple Cider or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments!
📖 Recipe
Spiked Apple Cider
Ingredients
- 4 cups apple cider
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 whole star anise
- ½ inch piece of fresh ginger cut into slices
- 2 small oranges
- 1 cup bourbon 8 ounces
- 0 to 4 tablespoons maple syrup see notes
- For garnishing: brown sugar orange slices, apple slices, cinnamon sticks
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the apple cider, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and ginger over medium heat. Wash the oranges well, then slice in half and squeeze the juice into the saucepan. Drop in one of the squeezed orange halves, and discard the other three.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and pour through a mesh sieve to filter out the spices and orange half.
- Combine the apple cider mixture with the bourbon and maple syrup. Serve hot, or chill to serve over ice.
Notes
- Depending on the sweetness of your apple cider, you might want to omit the syrup completely. A more tart apple cider might need as much as ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) of syrup to be tasty. Mix in the maple syrup at the end to adjust to your taste.
- Because this is a mixed drink, no need to use top shelf bourbon here unless you really want to. Any middle-shelf bourbon will do the trick.
- To keep this warm for a crowd, keep it in a slow cooker on low.
- To rim glasses: place about ¼ cup of brown sugar in a saucer, run an orange slice around the rim of an empty glass, and place the rim in the sugar and twist to adhere the sugar. Fill.
- To garnish: place an orange slice and apple slice on each glass, then place a cinnamon stick in the glass (if long enough) or balance on the top.
BIG thank you Dear Cassie…..from Philippines