11 Cider Recipes We Can’t Wait to Make this Fall (2024)

What is it about hot cider that gives us all the heart-eyes and hygge vibes? There’s something about the simple pleasure of carefully grasping a cup between both hands, letting its heat warm you, body and soul. And sure, PSLs may reign as the ubiquitous fall drink, but here at Camille Styles, we’re team cider—and we have the best apple cider recipes to prove it.

Somehow, apple cider tastes as if someone (brilliantly) devised a way to drink the flavor of falling leaves, chunky sweaters, wool scarves, and all things cozy. Strange but true, and because of this, you can find us sipping on mug after mug of all our favorite apple cider recipes from now until December—maybe beyond.

Featured image by Hannah Haston.

11 Cider Recipes We Can’t Wait to Make this Fall (1)

Like any fall dish, these 11 versions of the seasonal favorite contain every autumnal flavor you can think of—maple, apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, and bourbon. But unlike other fall foods, cider fully encompasses all that is warm, cozy, and wonderful about the colder months. It’s what we keep in our cups during all the tailgates, fall gatherings, and blustery weekend afternoons spent curled up in autumnal bliss.

If you aren’t already shaking your head in agreement, prepare yourself. When you take your first sip of one of the recipes listed below, you’ll soon join the club of proud cider fanatics everywhere.

11 Apple Cider Recipes For Cozy Fall Sipping

Herbal Infused Bourbon Apple Cider

Why We Love It: When it came to apple cider recipes, I once thought of myself as a cider purist. Spoiled by the proximity of a cider press, you can bet the cider I was sipping on as a kid was as fresh as could be. And while I’ll still never get over the dry/tart flavor of my ciders of yore, I’ve learned to enjoy a little doctoring up. Enter: this herbal-infused, bourbon-spiked apple cider co*cktail that epitomizes all that I love about fall flavors. It’s spicy and sweet, warming and ever-so-savory. And with a few ounces of bourbon to boot, this is the ideal fall party co*cktail.

Hero Ingredient: Make a big batch of the honey-thyme simple syrup. It’s the kind of mix-in you’ll always want on hand.

Build Your Own Cider Bar

Why We Love It: This is less of a recipe and more one of my favorite ways to enjoy the best apple cider recipes around. Is there anything better than welcoming the season surrounded by loved ones? That’s exactly why we created this guide to your coziest night in—BYO cider bar, included.

Hero Ingredient: Hero… arrangement. Be sure to set out all the ingredients and add-ons in advance. That way, your guests can stir in a cinnamon stick or add a dash of bourbon as they please.

11 Cider Recipes We Can’t Wait to Make this Fall (4)

Cranberry Apple Cider

Why We Love It: CranApple is a marketer’s dream flavor for a reason. Not only does it provide a catchy name to splash across the bottle, but mixing the tartness of cranberries with the earthy sweetness of apples is a study in perfect flavor pairings. Mix up a big bowl of this punch and infuse it with your favorite fall spices. It’s the ideal drink to be sipping on during all your Hallmark favorites.

Hero Ingredient: Citrus slices are a must-add to your cider punch bowl. Not only do they add gorgeous color and up the drink’s overall visual appeal, but they add a nice sour note to give your punch a little pucker.

Spiced Hard Cider

Why We Love It: If your go-to hard cider isn’t cutting it in the fall flavors department, we’ve outlined the exact steps you need to follow to ensure your beverage is worthy of a little autumn imbibing. Eric Prum and Josh Williams, co-founders of W&P, put it best: “We like to punch up bottled cider by spiking it with applejack, a brandy distilled from apples, and warming spices. We build this drink in a co*cktail shaker, infusing the applejack with the spices before topping it with refreshing hard cider.” Yum or YUM?

Hero Ingredient: A pinch of ground allspice, cinnamon, and cloves infuses your cider with the trifecta of fall spices.

Bourbon Maple Cider

Why We Love It: Bourbon maple might be my favorite pairing of words in the English language (followed quickly by maple bacon… ). In all seriousness, this drink knows how to spice up and strengthen your favorite cup of cider. With just a few simple ingredients your fall kitchen is likely to have already stocked, you’re well on your way to mixing up what we’d consider an essential autumn drink.

Hero Ingredient: Don’t mess with the maple syrup—be sure you’re using the good stuff.

11 Cider Recipes We Can’t Wait to Make this Fall (7)

Smoky Harvest Apple Cider Margarita From Half Baked Harvest

Why We Love It: If the temps are still high where you are and you’re in need of a drink to bridge the gap between summer and fall, make it this one. Smoky mezcal is the perfect warming match for all the harvest flavors (i.e., a blend of orange liquor, spiced apple cider, citrusy lime, and maple). It’s a special drink that couldn’t be easier to make.

Hero Ingredient: A sprig of rosemary for garnish not only makes this sipper a stunner, but it gives the drink a nice piney finish.

11 Cider Recipes We Can’t Wait to Make this Fall (8)

Apple Cider Rooibos Hot Toddy From Minimalist Baker

Why We Love It: Talk about clever. While I love apple cider (obviously), go crazy for hot toddies, and sip on rooibos tea like it’s water all through the fall/winter months, I’d never thought to combine the three. That is, of course, until now. The result is a strong, bold drink that’s just a touch sweet. If you’re tempted to reach for a cup of chai post-dinner, make this instead. Trust me: your taste buds will thank you.

Hero Ingredient: The spice is right with just a few slices of fresh ginger.

11 Cider Recipes We Can’t Wait to Make this Fall (9)

Apple Cider Bourbon co*cktail From Style Me Pretty

Why We Love It: While a few of the takes in this round-up of the best apple cider recipes know the beauty that is cider and bourbon combined, this one builds on the pairing with the addition of brown sugar. It creates a wonderfully caramelized touch of sweetness that’s slightly bitter. The ideal match for this drink’s triple-threat spice combo.

Hero Ingredient: I love that this recipe is truly homemade. You’ll appreciate the flavor of fresh apple cider once you’ve peeled, chopped, boiled, mashed, and strained 14 apples to make this magic elixir.

11 Cider Recipes We Can’t Wait to Make this Fall (10)

Sparking Vanilla Scented Apple Cider Punch From Simple Bites

Why We Love It: I find it funny that you don’t often come across a vanilla-flecked variation of apple cider. While some people think of vanilla only as sweet, I find it a bit earthy, floral, and even spicy at times—in other words, exactly what every apple cider punch should call for. This crimson, cranberry-infused cider is all the better because of it.

Hero Ingredient: Building on the vanilla here. You get not just one, but two instances of its sweet, creamy taste from the addition of vanilla extract and a split vanilla bean. Double the flavor, double the deliciousness.

11 Cider Recipes We Can’t Wait to Make this Fall (11)

Apple Cider co*cktail From Well-Plated By Erin

Why We Love It: I love how light and ethereally effervescent this apple cider co*cktail is. While some ciders can feel and taste heavy (there’s a time and a place for those), this recipe benefits from the addition of ginger beer, giving it a spicy, bubbly bite. Its garnishes are beautifully considered too, with apple slices, cinnamon, and a sprig of thyme making it occasion-worthy.

Hero Ingredient: Stock up on ginger beer this season—you’ll be making this co*cktail on repeat.

11 Cider Recipes We Can’t Wait to Make this Fall (12)

Ginger Pear Cider With Vanilla Bean From The First Mess

Why We Love It: Because the predominant flavor here is pear instead of apple, we’ll call this cider recipe a bit of a bonus. But I’m including it because I think more of us need to be aware of the incredibly seasonal and fresh flavor pear brings to the table (why does apple get to be the star?). Not only is this drink entirely addicting, but the addition of ginger helps you fight off the inevitable fall cold. The best part: you don’t need a press to make it! This drink can be prepared entirely in your blender.

Hero Ingredient: Give it up for the humble beauty of pears.

Comments (2)

  1. Annabelle says:

    September 29, 2017 at 6:31 am

    These recipes are so helpful, I really want to try to make a cider this Fall. It just seems like the perfect Autumnal thing to do!

    x Annabelle
    travelsandtea.com

    Reply

  2. Jaye says:

    October 8, 2017 at 5:20 am

    Definitely think I’ll be trying Spiced Hard Cider or the Cider Punch!

    Jaye x
    The Life of JayeP

    Reply

Leave a Reply

11 Cider Recipes We Can’t Wait to Make this Fall (2024)

FAQs

Should I use Pectolase in cider? ›

For a clear cider, pectolase should be added to remove that cloudy haze.

What can I add to cider to make it taste better? ›

Mulling spices

Combine classic warming spices like clove, allspice and cinnamon in your cider for an especially autumnal treat.

How to make your own alcoholic cider? ›

3. Make Cider by Mixing Juice & Yeast
  1. Mix your juice, yeast, and sugar (adding sugar raises the ABV)
  2. Place the stopper and airlock into the bucket or carboy. Ferment for 10-14 days.
  3. Carbonate and bottle in your choice of beer bottle.
  4. Crack open a cold one and savor the moment!
Sep 10, 2019

How to make simple cider? ›

There are essentially 2 simple ways to make cider. One is to add campden tablets to the juice to remove any bad bacterial that may spoil the whole batch. Then 24 hours later, add cider yeast. The alternative way is to not add campden or yeast, and leave the juice to do its own thing.

What yeast is best for cider? ›

There are others; Clos De Bois, for an aromatic sip, or CL-23, for a clean, crisp cider. Any beer yeast will also create apple cider, however, some are much better than others. One of our favorites is the Safale US-05, which is a yeast commonly used to make pale ales and IPAs. It has a crisp, clean flavor.

Should I stir my cider during fermentation? ›

Do not stir. Add the lid loosely to the fermenter or attach an airlock (partially filled with water) and seal the lid. Primary fermentation should begin in 24-36 hours and should finish in 5-9 days. After the fermentation slows down, you should rack the cider into a clean carboy and attach a stopper and an airlock.

What happens if you let cider ferment too long? ›

If you leave it a long time, and you have used little to no sulfites, there may begin a spontaneous "malo-lactic fermentation." This is a very slight spritzing in the fermenter which will lower your acidity and smooth out the cider - this is good.

How do you make homemade cider sweeter? ›

If you like your cider sweeter, then you can add a sweetener as well as the priming sugar in the bottling step (not extra sugar) to the bottle at the point of bottling.

What is the best alcohol to add to cider? ›

Traditionally cider is spiked with dark spirits, like the rum and bourbon in the recipes above. But what if you want something a little lighter? Vodka can do the trick. Since it doesn't contribute much in the way of flavor, we add fresh ginger for its distinctive, peppery-sweet flavor.

What fruit is best to add to cider? ›

Using fruit other than apples in hard cider is common and adds great additional flavor. Some of the more common fruit selections are pear, cherry, peach and pineapple. Other options include mixed berries, blueberry, mango, blackberry.

Why does my cider taste bad? ›

Between day 9 and 12 of active fermentation the cider loses all apple flavor and becomes bitter.

Can you use brown sugar to make cider? ›

Option 3: Make Sparkling Cider

First, boil 1 cup water with three-fourths cup honey or brown sugar. Pour this mixture into a sanitized bottling bucket. Then, siphon your cider over from your fermentation bucket or carboy to the bottling bucket.

How long does homemade cider take to ferment? ›

Typically, fermenting juice into hard cider takes around 1-2 weeks for primary fermentation, which is when most of the sugar is converted into alcohol. After that, it's common to let the cider sit for an additional 2-4 weeks for secondary fermentation, which helps to clarify the cider and smooth out any off-flavors.

Can you make cider without yeast? ›

Natural yeast in the juice will ferment the sugar to alcohol. Yeast need not be added, although it can without any problem. Some fermentation processes call for killing all the yeast in the pure cider with sulfur dioxide, waiting 24 hours and then adding wine yeast. For the homeowner this is not necessary.

What makes good apple cider? ›

Most apples can be used in creating flavorful hard cider, but there are a few specific varieties that work best as cider apples. Galas, Gravensteins, Newtown Pippins, Rome Beauties and Winesaps are a few common varieties that can add amazing nuances and depth to hard cider.

What is the best alcohol to add to apple cider? ›

Brown liquors are a traditional pairing with apple cider. It's hard to deny that the warm flavors of whiskey or spiced rum mingle beautifully with the tart sweetness of apple cider. But, if you're looking for a simple way to spike your cider while allowing its natural flavors to shine, you may want to turn to vodka.

How many apples does it take to make a gallon of cider? ›

How many apples does it take to make a gallon of cider? - It will take just a little over a peck or 36-42 medium apples to make just one gallon of cider.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Sen. Ignacio Ratke

Last Updated:

Views: 5748

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (76 voted)

Reviews: 91% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Sen. Ignacio Ratke

Birthday: 1999-05-27

Address: Apt. 171 8116 Bailey Via, Roberthaven, GA 58289

Phone: +2585395768220

Job: Lead Liaison

Hobby: Lockpicking, LARPing, Lego building, Lapidary, Macrame, Book restoration, Bodybuilding

Introduction: My name is Sen. Ignacio Ratke, I am a adventurous, zealous, outstanding, agreeable, precious, excited, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.