easy apple cider cocktail with bourbon or whiskey

This whiskey apple cider cocktail screams fall in its flavors and is the perfect cozy cocktail to celebrate changing leaves and chilly nights.

Looking for other fall cocktails and great cocktail recipes for the holiday season? Try a Cranberry Bourbon Smash, Apple Cider Margarita or Christmas White Russian.

This apple cider bourbon cocktail recipe is everything I love about this time of year: from the chill in the air, to the vibrant colors on the trees, and a signature cozy fall flavor with warming spices; it totally encapsulates my fall feels.

This perfect fall cocktail is as simple as simmering some cider with warming spices, and then adding a little extra kick with notes of vanilla or cinnamon infused bourbon (you can either buy the bourbon already flavored at the store or infuse it yourself!).

We love to sip on this warm cider all fall long whether it be on camping trips, during an evening around the fire pit in our backyard, on crisp fall days, or as a nightcap to our family’s Thanksgiving feast.

What you’ll need to make this bourbon apple cider cocktail recipe

These are the tools you’ll need to make this spiked apple cider cocktail:

Large mason jar or other container to infuse the bourbon or whiskey

Small saucepan or pot

Thermos or pitcher, for serving

Cocktail glasses or mugs

And here are the ingredients you’ll need to make an apple cider bourbon cocktail:

5 cups apple cider (fresh apple cider is best, if you can’t find apple cider, use unfiltered apple juice)

1 cinnamon stick

2 star anise

3 whole cloves

2 ounces of bourbon, per cocktail (vanilla or cinnamon infused or flavored)

Cinnamon sticks or apple slice for garnish

For the infused bourbon:

2 cups bourbon

1-2 vanilla bean pods or 1-2 cinnamon sticks

How to make a whiskey apple cider cocktail

You know I love easy recipes and this one is as easy as they come: this boozy apple cider involves just a few simple ingredients, simmering them together over medium or low heat, and then adding a little extra kick with bourbon or whiskey (you can get detailed instructions in the recipe card below!)

I also love that you can make this recipe for one, two, or a few because no shaking, juicing or extensive step-by-step drink making is required. It’s perfect for a fall gathering because it is a festive cocktail that you can make a big batch and can keep it warm in a crockpot.

While I think the sweetness of the cider is enough to make this drink perfectly sweet, you could add orange peel or orange juice, real maple syrup or pure maple syrup to the saucepan while it simmers to make it a little sweeter

You can either buy your liquor already infused (many different brands offer cinnamon or vanilla infused whiskey or bourbon at grocery stores or liquor stores) or you can make your own following the detailed instructions below!

While this is a warm cocktail, you could also make this cocktail cold…infuse the cider with the spices and then remove from heat and allow to cool. Mix the cocktail with the liquor using a cocktail shaker and ice or just stir together in a cocktail glass. If making cold, you could add some ginger beer or ginger ale for a extra flavor boost!

In making the cold version of this cocktail it would be so fun to add a cinnamon sugar rim too!

What alcohol can be mixed with apple cider?

When it comes to spiking apple cider, we tend to opt for dark spirits like whiskey, bourbon and rum rather than clear liquors like vodka, gin or light rum.

Whiskey or bourbon and apple cider is a classic flavor combination, and whiskey is often the most recommended spirit when it comes to making an alcoholic apple cider cocktail. Whiskey or bourbon also pairs well with fall and winter warming spices that are often found in hot apple cider recipes like cinnamon and cloves.

Dark rum is another dark liquor that is also a popular choice for spiking apple cider and could certainly be used in this recipe in lieu of whiskey or bourbon. Make sure you are using dark rum (not light rum) because the flavors will complement those of the spices in the cider.

And a good, but more unexpected, spirit pairing for apple cider is vodka. Because vodka doesn’t add a ton of flavor when adding it to a cider cocktail, consider increasing the spices and maybe adding some ginger for an extra kick.

What is the difference between whiskey and bourbon?

Above, I mentioned a dark spirit like whiskey or bourbon is typically used to spike apple cider. (And the recipe card points you to the fact that you can use whiskey or bourbon.)

So what’s the difference? What makes a whiskey bourbon?

The main difference between different types of whiskeys and bourbon is geographic and the ingredients used in the distilling process.

What makes whiskey bourbon is that the mash (the mixture of grains from which the product is distilled) must contain 51% corn.

And on top of that, the mash must be distilled at 160 proof or less, put into a barrel at 125 proof or less, and must not contain any additives. Plus, it must be aged in a new charred oak barrel.

If all of those things happen, your whiskey is actually a bourbon.

How to infuse your own alcohol with different flavors

This easy bourbon apple cider cocktail recipe calls for flavored whiskey or bourbon, which you can buy in a store or make yourself! I prefer using vanilla infused bourbon when I make this for us at home, but I think cinnamon infused bourbon would be delicious too (and if you don’t feel like infusing your own alcohol, you could always add a Cinnamon Simple Syrup to your drink).

While I do have some brief instructions for infusing your own whiskey with vanilla or cinnamon in the recipe card of this post, my friend Susannah has an incredibly detailed step-by-step guide for making homemade cinnamon whiskey.

What I love about infusing your own whiskey at home is that you can control the amount of flavor and spice that you add to the spirit. 

And that it’s actually not that hard! All you need is your favorite liquor, a mason jar, and the right amount of flavor and spice. Pour the bourbon into a jar, submerge the spices and let it sit until you think it tastes good. That’s it!