Festive Cider Cocktails to Make Your Holiday Party Merry and Bright
‘Tis the season to be jolly, as the song says, and with friends and families coming together to celebrate in the darkest days of the year, there are countless ways to toast in style. Cider cocktails are a great way to add a little sparkle to your favorite wintertime beverages, and we’ve got some great recipes to help make your holiday gatherings a little more spirited. Cheers!
Saucy Santa
A crowd-pleaser of a festive holiday cocktail that’s easy to scale up for a crowd! Made with our spiced (and mildly spicy) apple cider, this is the cocktail version of your favorite apple pie—but better.
Ingredients For One
8 oz Santa’s Sauce Cider
2 oz fresh apple juice
1.5 oz Burnside Bourbon
Ingredients For Eight
64 oz Santa’s Sauce Cider [aka, a growler fill]
16 oz fresh apple juice
12 oz Burnside Bourbon
Garnishes
Apple slices
Directions
Stir all the ingredients together and serve over ice in pint-sized glasses. Garnish with an orange twist and a couple of apple slices in each glass.
Pommossa
Sometimes, the simplest ingredients come together to make something magical! Our dry, un-sweet True Brut cider keeps this refreshing, not cloying, and the grenadine tints this sparkly pour a festive shade of red.
Ingredients
5 oz True Brut Cider (chilled)
1 oz Portland Syrups Grenadine
Directions
Add grenadine to a champagne flute, top with cider. Garnish with a few pomegranate arils, if desired.
Hot Mulled Cider
There’s nothing quite as wintry and cozy as a hot beverage. This classic hot cider recipe is meant for a group, and it can be kept warm on the stove or in a crockpot set on the lowest temperature. Just make sure you keep the lid on!
Ingredients (8 servings)
4 Proper Pints of Kinda Dry Cider (19.2 oz/can)
12 whole cloves
4 3-inch sticks of cinnamon
15 allspice berries
1 - 2 oranges – sliced
6 orange peel strips – thinly shaved
2 oz bourbon or whiskey per mug
Garnishes
Apple slices
Orange wedges
Cinnamon sticks
Directions
Place all ingredients except bourbon or whiskey in a pot and bring it to a simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove the solids with a strainer.
To serve: Add your choice of bourbon or whiskey to a mug, and top off with mulled cider. Garnish with an apple slice, orange wedge, and a cinnamon stick. Serve hot!
Cranberini
Cranberries are the top fruit of the holiday season, and there are endless ways to enjoy these tart red gems. This cocktail is cranberry-forward thanks to the double-punch of cranberry syrup and cider.
Ingredients
2 oz Vodka
1 oz Portland Syrups Spiced Cranberry
2-3 oz Cranberry Mule Cider
Directions
Add vodka and syrup to a shaker with ice; shake vigorously, then strain into a martini glass and top with cider. Garnish with an orange peel or cranberries.