13 Apple Cocktails That Are Like Autumn in a Glass

Apple pie isn't the only way to celebrate the fall season. These apple cocktails offer a refreshing alternative.

By
The Serious Eats Team
The Serious Eats Team
At Serious Eats, we’re a team of self-proclaimed food nerds who are ever-curious about the “why” behind cooking. The staff has worked in restaurants, test kitchens, bakeries, and other notable publications, bringing extensive culinary and editorial expertise to the table.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated October 09, 2020
20140929-TangyCiderFizz-cocktail-elana-lepkowski.jpg
Elana Lepkowski

With the arrival of fall, we're once again reminded that apples exist...and suddenly we have so much work to do. There are so many different types to try at the local farmers market, so many orchards to visit, and so many pies to bake. So why not make the drinking part easy? Here are a few of our favorite cocktails featuring apple cider and hard spirits. Just pour, mix, and sip—no orchard hunting or special prep needed.

  • Apple Elixir

    Elana Lepkowski

    This cocktail has three layers of apple flavor: First, there's fresh, unfiltered sweet cider; then, there's warming 100-proof apple brandy; and, finally, fizzy, tart hard cider. It's spiced up with cinnamon, allspice, clove, and peppercorns, and balanced with lemon for brightness.

  • Orchard Boulevardier

    20131028-127677-Cider-Boulevardier-primary.jpg
    María del Mar Sacasa

    The classic Boulevardier—made Negroni-style with Campari, sweet vermouth, and whiskey—is one of our autumn go-to drinks. Adding hot cider gives you an extra layer of warming comfort. This drink recipe serves two, but we wouldn't blame you for going through a few mugs of it while curled up next to a crackling fire.

  • Pop! Cider

    20131028-127677-Cider-Benedictine-primary.jpg
    María del Mar Sacasa

    You can toast with a plain flute of bubbly, but this fizzy cocktail is a delightfully flavorful alternative, enriched with a splash of apple cider and a little Bénédictine, which offers herbal, honeyed flavors. No need to shell out for Champagne here—budget-friendly Prosecco works just fine.

  • Apple Crisp Cocktail

    20120905-bourbonapplecrispclose.jpg
    Wes Rowe

    This autumnal highball combines Laird's bonded apple brandy with bourbon that's been infused with spicy green cardamom pods. Use whichever drinkable bourbon you have on hand, just don't infuse it for longer than directed, lest your bourbon start to taste like cardamom-tinged cough syrup. It's an easy-to-sip drink that's lightly spicy but still refreshing.

    Continue to 5 of 13 below

  • Jack Rose

    20150323-cocktails-vicky-wasik-jack-rose.jpg
    J. Kenji López-Alt

    This classic drink is boozy but refreshingly fruity, thanks to a stiff pour of applejack sweetened with grenadine (you can make your own!) and a dash of Peychaud's bitters. Lemon helps it all go down easy, so be careful!

  • Salty Maple Buttered Cider

    20131028-127677-Cider-Buttered-primary.jpg
    María del Mar Sacasa

    Hot buttered rum is a staple of the cold months, and for good reason: butter blends perfectly into the dark, rich rum for a soothing blend. In this drink, cider is added to the mix, along with maple syrup and a scraped vanilla bean. Focus the flavors with a sprinkle of Maldon salt and a little lemon juice.

  • The King's Waes Hail

    20120105-cocktail2.jpg
    Maggie Hoffman

    We're not always fans of ginger liqueur, but we really like The King's Ginger, which is rich and full with a ginger-and-whiskey backbone. Here, it's mixed with apple brandy, lemon, and rich Carpano Antica vermouth in a cocktail that's great with or without a frothy egg white.

  • Honeymoon Cocktail

    20111007-PDT-Honeymoon.jpg
    Alice Gao

    The Honeymoon Cocktail is essentially an apple brandy sour—boozy and sultry but balanced with fresh acidity. The classic cocktail combines apple brandy, sweet orange curaçao, herbal Bénédictine, and tart lemon juice.

    Continue to 9 of 13 below

  • Peppery Ginger Cider

    20131028-127677-Cider-PepperGinger-primary.jpg
    María del Mar Sacasa

    For those who appreciate sweet apple cider but need more bite than that mellow drink provides, this warm cocktail, spiked with your favorite bourbon, offers the sharpness of ginger. To underscore that subtle burn, add cracked black pepper on the top of each mug.

  • Applejack Rabbit

    20111007-PDT-ApplejackRabbit.jpg
    Alice Gao

    Could this be your new favorite brunch cocktail? The combination of apple brandy, fresh lemon and orange juices, and maple syrup makes it perfectly seasonal. Be sure to use grade B maple syrup to add the deepest flavor.

  • Gin-Applejack Punch

    20101230applejackgin.jpg
    Robyn Lee

    This big-batch punch marries warming applejack with piney-fresh gin. Lime and orange juices brighten it up, and muddling the orange to get the oils from the peel adds a delicately bitter complexity that straight juice just can't match. Make this drink ahead of time and let it chill in your fridge before party time.

  • Señor Brown

    Michael Dietsch

    Though it's only made with two ingredients—mezcal and apple soda—this is a complex drink for cocktail lovers. The smoky mezcal offers a savory quality that unfolds on your tongue, and the apple soda provides a bracing tartness that keeps things in balance.

    Continue to 13 of 13 below

  • Mela d'Alba (Apple Brandy Negroni)

    20161018-negroni-variations-mela-dalba-vicky-wasik.jpg
    Vicky Wasik

    We took the classic Negroni and gave it a spicy, rich, bittersweet twist. Apple brandy helps cut through the considerable sweetness of the Campari and sweet vermouth. Garnish with a lemon twist for a warming cold-weather cocktail that you'll want to cozy up with.

More Serious Eats Recipes