It’s cocktail time! This spiced and spiked cider is the perfect autumn libation, and a great idea if you’re looking for a fun Thanksgiving cocktail that will surely please your guests. This cocktail is a sweet one on its own, but you can make it extra sweet by creating a brown sugar coated rim. There’s extra sweetness in every sip, plus it looks super fun and pretty on the glasses!
a syrupy start
Yes, this is a cocktail with a pretty strong alcohol, but the basis of this fun drink is the maple-cider syrup. This *simple* syrup is super easy to make, plus it incorporates maple syrup as the sweetener alternative to sugar which I love.
You can also infuse the syrup with some fresh thyme sprigs to give it an herbal finish. An added bonus? While you’re cooking the syrup, it’ll make your whole kitchen smell incredible.
shake things up
If you’re just making a couple cocktails, the easiest thing to do is to add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice, and strain it into the glasses. The cool thing about this recipe is you can also make a large batch of it and serve it in either a pitcher or a punch bowl. I would highly recommend this method if you’re serving drinks to a group of people this Thanksgiving!
If you’re going the large batch route, you can prepare all the glasses ahead of time with the fancy rim (if you want), and set the glasses up on a table or the counter with some apple peels and thyme sprigs that guests can plop into their drinks after serving themselves. All the glasses together will look super pretty, and everyone loves a good help-yourself drink station.
⟶ the recipe
spiced cider smash
ingredients
For the syrup
1 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon cloves
4-6 sprigs of fresh thyme
For the cocktail
3 ounces vodka
2 ounces apple cider
1 ounce syrup
Crushed ice
Fresh apple peels for garnish
Brown sugar and honey for rim
Prep time
30 minutes
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
30 minutes
Makes 2 cocktails
instructions
Make the syrup by mixing together the apple cider, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in a small saucepan. Bring liquid to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer. Add the thyme sprigs, and cook the liquid for about 20 minutes, until the liquid reduces by about half, and it becomes a syrupy consistency.
Remove syrup from heat, and strain the syrup to get rid of the thyme. Allow the syrup to cool completely.
Prep cocktail glasses by adding a brown sugar rim, if desired. Place about a tablespoon of brown sugar on a small plate, and spread it out in an even layer. Coat the rim of each glass with a bit of honey, and dip them into the brown sugar. Fill each glass about ¾ full of crushed ice.
Once syrup has cooled, add the vodka, cider, and syrup to a cocktail shaker filled with large ice cubes. Shake vigorously, and strain the cocktail into each glass. Garnish with an apple peel and a couple sprigs of thyme.
⟶ modifications
- Make it a mocktail by skipping the vodka and doubling the apple cider
- If you aren’t a vodka person, you can swap out the type of liquor. This cocktail would also be great with whiskey or rum
⟶ make it ahead
- Make the syrup ahead and refrigerate it in a mason jar until ready to use. Double or triple the recipe to have some extra syrup on hand that you can use for other purposes or future cocktails
