Put a festive fall touch to everyone’s favorite classic cocktail with this sparkling apple cider margarita! You'll love the way the warm apple cider spice pairs with the citrusy notes and rich, complex tequila to make one delicious fall cocktail. This margarita uses only fresh ingredients, comes together in just minutes and can be prepared as a single drink or in a pitcher to serve a crowd.
1ounceorange liqueurpreferably Grand Marnier or Cointreau
1ouncefreshly squeezed lime juiceabout 1 lime
Ice
Splash of ginger beer or ginger ale(see note)
Apple slicefor garnish, optional
Instructions
Cinnamon-Sugar Rim
Spread ground cinnamon and brown sugar on a small plate and mix together. Run a lime slice along the edge of your serving glass and swirl the rim in the cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat. Set the glass aside.
Sparkling Apple Cider Margarita
In a cocktail shaker, add the apple cider, tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice and a handful of ice. Put on the top and shake vigorously, about 15-30 seconds.
Add a handful of ice in your serving glass. Strain the margarita into the glass. Pour in a splash of ginger beer or ginger ale and gently stir to combine. If you'd like, garnish with an apple slice. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
12-serving pitcher: To make a 12-serving pitcher of apple cider margaritas, combine 3 cups apple cider, 3 cups tequila, 1 ½ cups orange liqueur and 1 ½ cups lime juice (about 12 limes) into a large pitcher. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When you're ready to serve, stir the mixture, pour ¾ cup per drink into a cocktail shaker and shake as originally directed and then top with the ginger beer or ginger ale. You still want to shake the drink to get the proper aeration and dilution, but making it ahead of time in a pitcher will still save a lot of time.
Make sure you don't use sparkling apple cider, which is more like apple juice, or hard cider, which is alcoholic. We just want traditional, uncarbonated apple cider, which you can find in the produce section of your grocery store.
Apple cider varies in sweetness by brand. The apple cider I use is sweet enough that I don’t need additional sugar. That said, if you need more sweetener, you could use basic simple syrup or maple syrup, or one of my fancy spiced syrups like this brown sugar-chai syrup or gingerbread syrup. I’d start with ½ ounce and then add more if necessary.
Don't want a fizzy drink? No problem. Simply leave out the ginger beer or ginger ale. This fall margarita is absolutely delicious whether you use the bubbly ginger topping or not.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.