apple cider - Girl & Tonic

Apple Cider Margarita | An Easy Fall-Inspired Margarita Recipe with 4 Ingredients

by corrie.pennington / October 20, 2020

Love Margaritas but want to embrace some classic fall flavors? This Apple Cider Margarita combines them both. The Margarita mix makes it easy but you can certainly use fresh citrus juice as well.

Love Margaritas but want to embrace some classic fall flavors? This Apple Cider Margarita combines them both. This easy, 4-ingredient recipe allows you to sip on the flavors of fall while still feeling cool and refreshed. The Margarita mix makes it easy but you can certainly use fresh citrus juice as well.

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I don’t know about you, but Margaritas feel very summer-y to me. I’m not saying I haven’t ever had one before the Summer Solstice or after the Autumnal Equinox, but I am usually pretty seasonal. I really celebrating the flavors and holidays that are unique to each season. And fall is definitely my favorite of the four.

Buuut it often doesn’t feel like Fall here in central Texas. In fact, it’s typically quite warm up until Halloween. That means there’s a whole month of fall where it’s too hot to enjoy all the cozy traditional things the season has to offer. Sweaters and scarves are a no-go. Warm hot chocolate with extra whipped cream? Hard pass. But apple cider is good both warm and cold so I can work with that.

An ice-cold Apple Cider Margarita seems like the most appropriate cocktail to drink in Texas in October. It gives me the fall feel without making me sweat.

I’ve gotta be honest though and say that this was not my idea. I saw it on my pal @little_cantina‘s feed on Instagram. It wasn’t his idea either but he was definitely the one who inspired me to make my own version of an Apple Cider Margarita.

Many people use tequila blanco (white or silver tequila) for Margaritas. Since we’re going for a warm feel here, tequila reposado works well. It’s got a deeper, slightly sweeter taste than it’s clear cousin.

I also opted to use a Margarita mixer. Now, if you’ve read my 5 Tips for Making Killer Cocktails at home post, you know I always recommend using fresh citrus juice. Sometimes, you need to simply steps and maximize time. Just make sure you use a high-quality mixer. You can hop over to my Instagram to see the brand I recommend. If mixers aren’t your thing, you can use fresh lemon juice or a mixture of fresh lemon and lime juice.

The apple cider is already pretty sweet on its own so I didn’t find that it needed to be sweetened more. Then again, I’m not really a sweet drink kinda girl. If you prefer your drinks on the sweeter side, add 1/4 ounce of agave or honey simple syrup. You can even make it more fall-y and add some cinnamon syrup.

If you make this Apple Cider Margarita, be sure to comment below and tag me on Instagram! I love sharing y’all’s remixes on my Instagram stories.

Ingredients for an Apple Cider Margarita

1 1/2 oz tequila reposado
2 oz apple cider
1/2 oz triple sec
1/2 oz Margarita mixer or a combination of fresh lemon and lime juice
optional – 1/4 oz agave*

*this drink will already be naturally sweet due to the apple cider. If you like your drinks extra sweet, add 1/4 oz of agave or honey simple syrup.

How to Make an Apple Cider Margarita

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Strain into a Margarita glass or a lowball glass filled with ice. Garnish with an apple slice.

Apple Cider Margarita

A fall-inspired Margarita recipe made with fresh apple cider. It's the perfect fall-time drink when the weather's still warm.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 3 mins

Course Drinks

Servings 1

Equipment

cocktail shaker

Ingredients

1½ oz tequila reposado
2 oz apple cider
½ oz triple sec
½ oz Margarita mixer or a mix of lemon & lime juice
¼ oz agave (optional) *

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
Shake well.
Strain into a Margarita glass or a lowball glass filled with ice.
Garnish with an apple slice.

Notes

*apple cider is pretty sweet on it’s own so if you’re not a fan of super sweet drinks, skip the agave.

Keyword apple brandy, apple cider, apple cider margarita, citrus, margarita mixer, tequila, tequila reposado

If you like Margarita recipes, check out my Spicy Basil Margarita and the Cero Miedo that’s made with mezcal and guava.

Mulled White Wine with Apple Cider | The Perfect Drink for Fall and Winter

by corrie.pennington / October 16, 2020

This mulled white wine is made with apple cider, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, orange, and vanilla bean-infused vodka. The spices bring delicious warmth to the drink while the apple cider and brown sugar sweeten it the perfect amount. This mulled white wine recipe will be your new go-to for hosting fall and winter get-togethers. It's light enough to please your friends who don't like red wine, but it's also got enough spice to satisfy those who typically pass on white wine.

This mulled white wine with apple cider is made with brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, orange, and vanilla bean-infused vodka. The spices bring delicious warmth to the drink while the apple cider and brown sugar sweeten it the perfect amount.

This mulled white wine recipe will be your new go-to for hosting fall and winter get-togethers. It’s light enough to please your friends who don’t like red wine, but it’s also got enough spice to satisfy those who typically pass on white wine.

I’m one of those people. I usually don’t like white wine. It’s often too sweet and too… juice-like for my liking. Give me alllll the dry red wine any day. But I have a few friends who wouldn’t drink red if their life depended on it. Okay, I’m sure they would if their life depended on it. They’d just really prefer not to. So what’s a fun cool-weather cocktail that would please people on both sides of the spectrum? Mulled white wine with apple cider.

My friend came over the other day and we made this together. It’s still pretty warm outside these days but since this is made with white wine, it feels a lot lighter than traditional mulled wine so were able to enjoy a mug-full while watching our kiddos play outside.

Before I jump to the recipe, there are few things to note. When making mulled wine, whether red or white mulled wine, it’s best to pick a wine that is on the dry side and isn’t too sweet. However, I had a bottle of sweet white Bordeaux and it actually turned out great. My friend and I chose to embrace the fruity notes and added some fresh apple cider in.

We also played-up the sweetness of the wine by adding vanilla bean-infused vodka and vanilla extract. Many traditional mulled wines are fortified with brandy. However brandy could overwhelm the delicate notes in white wine so vodka seemed like a better choice. You do you though.

One of the great things about mulled wine is that it’s extremely customizable. You can change up the number of spices you put in according to your personal preference. You can also taste as you go to see if you need to pull any spices out or add more in. Many white mulled wine recipes also call for a couple whole pods of star anise. Star anise is not my favorite flavor (it tastes like licorice), so I used it to garnish only.

Another thing to note: mulled white wine can be made ahead of time. It will typically keep for 1-2 days in the refrigerator and can be reheated on the stovetop before you’re ready to drink it. However, strain out all of the aromatics before storing it. Otherwise, you run the risk of the spices overpowering the whole deal.

Have you ever made mulled white wine with apple cider before? How do you like it compared to traditional mulled red wine? Let me know in a comment below!

A mulled white wine with apple cider and brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, orange, and vanilla bean-infused vodka. The spices bring delicious warmth to the drink while the apple cider and brown sugar sweeten it the perfect amount. This mulled white wine recipe will be your new go-to for hosting fall and winter get-togethers. It's light enough to please your friends who don't like red wine, but it's also got enough spice to satisfy those who typically pass on white wine.

Ingredients for Mulled White Wine with Apple Cider

1 bottle of white wine (dry or semi-sweet works well)
1 cup apple cider
zest* and juice from 1 orange
2-3 cinnamon sticks
3-4 whole cloves
3 cardamom pods
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 oz vanilla bean-infused vodka (caramel vodka could be good, too!)
1-2 Tablespoons of brown sugar

*be careful not to remove any of the pith (white part) as it will make the drink bitter

How to Make Mulled White Wine with Apple Cider

Add all of the ingredients except for the sugar into a medium-sized saucepan. Heat on low, allowing the wine to slowly heat up. Be careful not to boil it. When it starts to steam, remove from heat or put it on your stove’s “warm” setting. Add in the brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon at a time, tasting as you go to make sure you don’t oversweeten it. Allow the wine to mull for 20-30 minutes. Serve in a mug. You can strain the spices out or ladle them into the mug along with the wine.

Remove any spices before storing leftover mulled wine in an air-tight container in the fridge. It should keep for 1-2 days.