Get festive with your holiday drinks and make our Apple Cider Cocktail! It’s made with apple cider, rye whisky, fresh orange juice, and a dash a bitters.
Don’t forget about the garnish. We used fresh rosemary in this Apple Cider Cocktail recipe for the cherry on top.

Holiday Cocktail Love
There’s nothing better than a stiff drink over the holidays. Two of my favorite are a Hot Toddy and our Rosemary Vodka Collins recipe.
I love this Apple Cider Cocktail because it’s sweet with a touch of sour. Oh, and so easy to make!
This cocktail recipe is great to whip up for 1 or 2 people or for a crowd. We’ll teach you how to make both!


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What You Need for an Apple Cider Cocktail
- rye whiskey – you can also use bourbon!
- apple cider – feel free to make your own (try our Instant Pot Apple Cider) or buy some at the store.
- fresh orange juice – you can squeeze your own juice from oranges or use pre-squeeze orange juice.
- sugar – all you need is a pinch.
- rosemary – rosemary is such a fun herb flavor addition to this recipe! Don’t skip it. Plus, it’s pretty.
- bitters – sweet + sour = love.
- ice – ice is used to make this cocktail cold, however, it is NOT served over ice.
Cocktail Accessories

Large Batch Apple Cider Cocktail
Looking to serve a crowd? You can totally whip up a large batch of this Apple Cider Cocktail. If you want to get fancy, you can even serve it in a punch bowl with ice, fresh rosemary, and orange slices.
Here’s how to serve 8:
- 16-oz. rye whiskey (2 cups)
- 12-oz. apple cider (1.5 cups)
- 4 oz. fresh orange juice (1/2 cup)
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 8 sprig fresh rosemary
- 20 dashes bitters
- 4 cups ice
Place ice into a large pitcher. Then, add the rest of the ingredients into the pitcher and use a long spoon to mix. Serve immediately.


Apple Cider Cocktail
Ingredients
- 2 oz. rye whiskey
- 1.5 oz. apple cider
- 1/2 oz. fresh orange juice
- Pinch of sugar
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2-3 dashes bitters
- ½ cup ice
- Garnish: orange peel and fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Begin by adding all of the ingredients into a cocktail shaker.
- Stir all of the ingredients together gently with a metal spoon. Then, place the strainer top onto the cocktail shaker.
- Pour the cocktail into a glass and serve without ice.
- Garnish with orange peel, rosemary, and enjoy.
Nutrition facts
Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.
Where did you get the glassware?