Mixing up a fall sparkling apple cider cocktail is as simple as stirring an ounce or two of your chosen spirit into a chilled glass of cider. But if you want to up the “wow” factor even more, consider adding a half ounce of ginger liqueur, cinnamon whiskey, or allspice dram for an apple pie flavor that will dazzle your guests. To infuse deep citrus flavors, muddle lemon and orange wedges in a cocktail shaker, add the spirits, fill with ice, and shake well.
Then, strain the solution into a tall glass of ice, top with the sparkling cider, and garnish with some orange peels. Sparkling cider is not the only bubbly apple drink to keep in mind, either. Flavored apple soda, hard seltzer, and apple kombucha also make good spirit companions for all the same reasons. Their apple flavor is lighter than that of cider, though, so go easy when adding companion flavors to be sure that the delicate apple notes will still shine through.
