The Best Apple Cider Margaritas – Quick Facts
- Prep: 10 min
- Single serve: 3 oz cider + 2 oz tequila ·
- Pitcher: 3 cups cider + 2 cups tequila (makes ≈8)
- Best for: Thanksgiving, fall gatherings
- Origins: At The Wooden Skillet, we love pairing a great meal with a creative cocktail. This fall, we dreamed up a new favorite—the Apple Cider Margarita, inspired by a trip I took to the orchard last year – they were serving similar and I knew I had to recreate it!
And hey, if you are really serving a crowd, offer them full bar service with our pitcher margaritas, cranberry orange whiskey sour, cranberry Moscow mules or pickle margarita!
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
Please see the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients.
- real maple syrup – This add just a touch of sweetness. Agave syrup or homemade simple syrup will work here, but maple syrup will result in the best flavor.
- fresh apple cider – Store-bought apple cider works, but we always try to pick some up at our local apple orchard for the best apple flavor.
- tequila & orange liquor – Feel free to omit to make this a virgin apple cider margarita. For the orange liquor, we used triple sec. Reposado tequila is recommended since it has a naturally occurring warmth and spices to it.
How To Make Apple Cider Margaritas
Step 1: Place a bit of maple syrup on a small plate and carefully press the rim of your margarita glass into the maple syrup. On another plate, set your maple syrup rimmed glass into the cinnamon sugar mixture until it coats the edge of the glass.
Step 2: Then add the maple syrup, apple cider, tequila, orange liquor and lime juice to your prepared glass and stir to combine. Add ice. Garnishes of apple slices, star anise, and a cinnamon stick are optional, but they sure do make this drink look pretty!
Cinnamon Sugar Rim Pro Tip
To keep the maple syrup from running down the glass, use chilled maple syrup. You can also use a lime instead of maple syrup, if you prefer.
Erin’s Testing Notes
I learned that maple syrup pairs better with apple cider than a honey or agave. And I didn’t want to *too* sweet, so we reduced the amount of maple syrup to 1 teaspoon (down from 2-3 teaspoons). I liked both tequila and mezcal, but preferred tequila – it went down smoother with the apple cider, in my opinion.
Pitcher Apple Cider Margaritas
This is the perfect drink to serve to a larger crowd, so feel free to make the pitcher version for Thanksgiving Dinner!
Using approx. 60 oz pitcher, use the following measurements – 1 tablespoons cinnamon + 1 tablespoons sugar + maple syrup for the cinnamon sugar rim. For the pitcher of margs: 3 cups apple cider + 2 cups tequila + 1 cup orange liquor + 3 tablespoons real maple syrup + 1 cup lime juice + ice for serving.
Variations
- Smoky Mezcal: use a SITOO cocktail smoker (like we use in our Smoked Old Fashioned) to really amp up the smokiness and use a mezcal (which has a smoky + earthy flavor) instead of regular tequila.
- Spicy: use hot honey instead of maple syrup.
- Non-Alcoholic: omit the tequila and triple sec and replace with extra apple cider. Add a splash of orange juice and/or a non-alcoholic triple sec replacement (or a little orange extract) – add a splash of sparkling water, to taste.
Apple Cider Margarita FAQs
Apple juice is sweeter than apple cider, and will therefore change the flavor if used in this cocktail. Feel free to use what fits your personal preference best.
The 321 rule for margaritas says that every good margarita should be 3 parts tequila, 2 parts triple sec and 1 part lime juice. We followed that golden rule in this recipe!
Yes, while fresh lime juice generally tastes better, if bottled lime juice is all you have – go for it!
If you don’t have maple syrup on hand you could use agave syrup, honey or simple syrup (we have a very easy simple syrup recipe). They won’t meld as well with the fall flavors, but they will get the job done in a pinch.
To make a virgin apple cider margarita simply omit the tequila and triple sec.
Yes! Using approx. 60 oz pitcher, use the following measurements – 1 tablespoons cinnamon + 1 tablespoons sugar + maple syrup for the cinnamon sugar rim. For the pitcher of margs: 3 cups apple cider + 2 cups tequila + 1 cup orange liquor + 3 tablespoons real maple syrup + 1 cup lime juice + ice for serving (taste and adjust maple syrup, as needed). Pitcher makes approx. 8 servings.
Keep chilled and covered in the fridge – best within 24-36 hours. Fresh apples will brown so best to add fresh apples just before serving.
Other Cocktail Recipes You Might Like
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Apple Cider Margarita Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
- Category: Drink
- Method: Counter Top
- Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
A festive apple cider margarita with maple and cinnamon — quick single serve or a pitcher for a crowd. Includes pitcher measurements (makes ~8), a smoky mezcal variation, and tips for rimming, storing, and non-alcoholic swaps.
Ingredients
Cinnamon Sugar Rim:
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- real maple syrup
Apple Cider Margaritas (single serve – see Notes for pitcher measurements):
- 3oz apple cider
- 2oz tequila
- 1oz orange liquor
- 1 teaspoon real maple syrup
- 1 oz lime juice
- Garnish (optional): star anise, sliced apples, cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Cinnamon Sugar Rim: Add cinnamon and sugar to a plate; stir to combine. Rub a little bit of the maple syrup along the rim of the glass (alternatively you can pour some extra maple syrup on a plate and dip the rim in it – but it will drip a bit). Then dip in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat the rim.
- Add Liquid: Add maple syrup, apple cider, tequila, orange liquor and lime juice to glass. Stir to combine.
- Add ice and stir again.
- Garnish with apple slices, star anise and a cinnamon stick. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Pitcher Recipe: Using approx. 60 oz pitcher, use the following measurements – 1 tablespoons cinnamon + 1 tablespoons sugar + maple syrup for the cinnamon sugar rim. For the pitcher of margs: 3 cups apple cider + 2 cups tequila + 1 cup orange liquor + 3 tablespoons real maple syrup + 1 cup lime juice + ice for serving (taste and adjust maple syrup, as needed). Pitcher makes approx. 8 servings.
- Make Ahead (how long will a pitcher of apple cider margaritas last): Keep chilled and covered in the fridge – best within 24-36 hours. Fresh apples will brown so best to add fresh apples just before serving.
- Tequila Recommendations: Reposado is recommended since it has a naturally occurring warmth and spices to it.
- Real Maple Syrup: this will mix together better if it is at room temp – if it is really cold it will fall to the bottom and not mix in as well.
- Love Fall Cocktails: try our Spiked Apple Cider or our Apple Cider Bourbon Cocktail!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 drink
- Calories: 234
- Sugar: 22.4 g
- Sodium: 24.6 mg
- Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 27.3 g
- Protein: 0.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Erin says
Oooh these were so good!
Linda says
Made these with the cinnamon sugar rim and wow did they pop. Interesting combo that really works. 🤎💛
Erin says
Yay!!! So happy to hear that!
KJ says
This was delicious and so pretty. I made it for Thanksgiving. Everyone loved it. Plus the apples left in the pitcher were pretty tasty too. 😉 (Tried to give this 5 stars in previous review, but it was acting weird.)
Erin says
So happy to hear that! And thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review – I really appreciate it!