Cider In The Rye Cocktail
This chilled Cider In The Rye Cocktail is filled with warm spices and autumn flavors, making it the perfect holiday cocktail. Spiced apple cider, rye whiskey, lemon, and my Quick Honey Simple Syrup are combined to create a delicious and festive drink for the holidays (or any time of year). Straight rye whiskey balances the sweetness from the honey and cider, resulting in a well balanced aperitif with subtle sweetness. Garnished with a cinnamon sugar rim and apple, this cocktail is definitely autumn in a glass!
Whether you use homemade or store bought spiced apple cider, this easy cocktail recipe will have you hooked on the first sip. Deliciously refreshing and with lots of flavor, this is the perfect holiday cocktail when you are entertaining. To learn how to make this delicious cocktail recipe, see the printable recipe card below. Take a look at the recipe video, or get Step by Step Instructions for a more detailed explanation of this recipe. For make ahead instructions, visit the Pimp My Recipe section in this recipe’s Blog Comments & Tips.
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RECIPE
(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)
CIDER IN THE RYE COCKTAIL
Ingredients
Instructions
- To a small glass bowl, add sugar and cinnamon, and stir to combine. Pour cinnamon sugar onto a small plate. Rub the rim of an old-fashioned whiskey glass (10 ounce) with a lemon wedge (or lemon juice), then dip the wet rim into the cinnamon sugar, tap the glass to shake off any excess sugar, and set aside.
- Toss (to coat) an apple slice (see Note #3) in fresh lemon juice. Using a small spoon, spoon cinnamon sugar to coat half of the apple slice. Set coated apple slice on a piece of parchment paper. When dry, skewer apple garnish with a cocktail pick, and set aside.
- Fill a cocktail shaker half full with ice cubes, add cider, rye whiskey, lemon juice, and Quick Honey Simple Syrup.
- Cover and shake. Strain the cocktail into prepared ice filled whiskey glass, and enjoy!
Notes
- Use a non-alcoholic spiced apple cider for this recipe. Although homemade spiced cider is amazing in this cocktail, I used Trader Joe’s spiced cider instead. TJ’s spiced apple cider has the perfect amount of spiced flavor.
- For this cocktail, I used award winning Ryes of the Robots small-batch straight rye whiskey (made by Filmland Spirits Inc.), which has notes of cinnamon and cloves, along with a hint of oak. Perfect pairing with the cider!
- Get creative with your garnish! Apple slices should be about ¼ inch thick, and any shape you like. Coat only half the apple, to make it easy to handle when placing on the cocktail pick.
- For make ahead recipe instructions when you are entertaining a crowd, see the Pimp My Recipe section in my Blog Comments & Tips below for details.
- Makes 1 serving.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
234.67Fat (grams)
0.12Sat. Fat (grams)
0.03Carbs (grams)
24.6Fiber (grams)
0.18Net carbs
24.42Sugar (grams)
22.8Protein (grams)
0.12Sodium (milligrams)
15.9Cholesterol (grams)
0Nutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods. Optional sugar rim and apple garnish are not included in the nutritional calculations.
Step by Step Instructions
PREPARATION
Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin. Getting all your ingredients in one place at the beginning will shorten your prep time.
Sugar Rim & Garnish
(Optional, but delicious!)
STEP 1
To a small glass bowl, add 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and stir to combine. Pour cinnamon sugar onto a small plate. Rub the rim of an old-fashioned whiskey glass (10 ounce) with a lemon wedge (or lemon juice), then dip the wet rim into the cinnamon sugar, tap the glass to shake off any excess sugar, and set aside.
STEP 2
Toss (to coat) one apple slice (¼ inch thick - see Note below) in fresh lemon juice. Using a small spoon, spoon cinnamon sugar to coat half of the apple slice. Set coated apple slice on a piece of parchment paper. When dry, skewer apple garnish with a cocktail pick, and set aside.
Note: Get creative with your garnish! Apple slices should be about ¼ inch thick, and any shape you like. Coat only half the apple, to make it easy to handle when placing on the cocktail pick.
Cocktail
STEP 1
Fill a cocktail shaker half full with ice cubes, add 2 ½ ounces spiced apple cider (see Note A below), 2 ounces straight rye whiskey (see Note B below), ½ ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice, and ¾ ounce Quick Honey Simple Syrup.
Note A: Use a non-alcoholic spiced apple cider for this recipe. Although homemade spiced cider is amazing in this cocktail, I used Trader Joe’s spiced cider instead. TJ’s spiced apple cider has the perfect amount of spiced flavor.
Note B: For this cocktail, I used award winning Ryes of the Robots small-batch straight rye whiskey (made by Filmland Spirits Inc.), which has notes of cinnamon and cloves, along with a hint of oak. Perfect pairing with the cider!
STEP 2
Cover and shake. Strain the cocktail into ice filled whiskey glass, and enjoy!
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Serve immediately, and enjoy!
Note: For make ahead recipe instructions when you are entertaining a crowd, see the Pimp My Recipe section in my Blog Comments & Tips below for details.
Notes:
For make ahead recipe instructions when you are entertaining a crowd, see the Pimp My Recipe section in my Blog Comments & Tips below for details.
Makes 1 serving.
VIDEO
How to Make this Delicious Cider In The Rye Cocktail!
Blog Comments & Tips
A cocktail inspired by fall flavors and a classic novel!
This Cider In The Rye Cocktail is a perfectly spiced fall cocktail that is autumn in a glass! I used delicious spiced apple cider and straight rye whiskey as the main ingredients in this tasty libation. To top it off, this cocktail is garnished with a cinnamon sugar rim and apple. Yummy!
After a few days of brainstorming catchy cocktail names with my husband, I was inspired by the classic novel by J.D. Salinger, “The Catcher in the Rye.” We both had that “aha moment” when I said, “how about the “Cider In The Rye Cocktail?”
Since this easy cocktail recipe was loosely named after J.D. Salinger’s novel, why not pair up the two?! It’s important to fit in some self-care time, especially during the holiday season. Take a moment for yourself and make this quick & easy cocktail, curl up in front of the fireplace with a cozy throw blanket, and a copy of “The Catcher in the Rye.” Sounds like a nice relaxing evening, doesn’t it?!
Back to the cocktail. I used some great ingredients for this recipe, including my Quick Honey Simple Syrup, and the award winning Ryes of the Robots small-batch straight rye whiskey (made by Filmland Spirits Inc.). This rye whiskey has notes of cinnamon and cloves, along with a hint of oak, which makes it the perfect pairing with the cider.
How do you ensure the best results from this recipe?
My 5 tips to making this delicious Cider In The Rye Cocktail:
Although homemade spiced cider is amazing in this cocktail, to make it quick & easy I used Trader Joe’s spiced cider instead.
For this cocktail, I prefer using Ryes of the Robots small-batch straight rye whiskey (made by Filmland Spirits Inc.).
A make ahead tip is to prepare a batch of my Quick Honey Simple Syrup. You can keep it on hand for up to 1 month in the fridge. It’s delicious in this cocktail, and many others.
Use fresh squeezed lemon juice (not bottled).
Don’t skip the cinnamon sugar rim. Even if you don’t want to get fancy with the cinnamon sugar apple garnish, the rim adds an added element to the texture and flavor of this libation.
Have any dietary preferences that won’t quite work with our recipe? It’s time to customize and Pimp My Recipe.
Pimp My Recipe:
Make it Stronger: Add more rye whiskey. Instead of 2 ounces of rye whiskey, I suggest 3 ounces for a stronger boozy flavor.
Make it Sweeter: For a sweeter cocktail, add up to 1 ounce of my Quick Honey Simple Syrup (or more to taste).
Prefer Bourbon Whiskey? Replace the rye whiskey with bourbon whiskey. The bourbon will create a sweeter cocktail, but will be delicious!
Make Ahead for Entertaining: Make the apple garnish and sugar rim the glasses in advance. Just store the apple garnishes in an airtight container, with parchment paper in between layers, and refrigerate until ready to use. Increase the cocktail recipe to as many servings as you need for your gathering. Add them to a large glass pitcher (don’t add any ice), stir, cover, and refrigerate.
Stirred Not Shaken: As guests arrive, fill their glasses with ice, give the pitcher a quick stir, pour over ice, and stir the cocktail in the glass. Since you are not shaking the cocktail in a shaker, feel free to top off each cocktail with about 1 ounce of sparkling water or club soda, garnish, and serve!
Shaken Not Stirred: If you have time to shake each cocktail, just stir the pitcher each time before adding about 4 ½ to 5 ounces of the cocktail mixture into an ice filled pitcher. Shake, pour over ice, garnish, and serve!
Enjoy and let me know what you think by commenting below, rating my recipes, subscribing, following, and liking Pimp My Recipe on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok! Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.
Santé!
Mich
Footnote: Don’t skip the cinnamon sugar rim and apple garnish. It’s delicious!
Adapted from the Apple of your Rye cocktail recipe by bojongourmet.com. I used her base recipe, changed a few ingredients, and added a few more. I also created a special sugar rim and garnish, resulting in a very drinkable cocktail that is perfect for fall.
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