Kat’s Cocktails, Spirited Cider… the drink to kickstart your countdown to Christmas

This week from Kat’s Cocktails, our resident mixologist…

Bringing to life warm, cosy, winter flavours, this Spirited Cider is easy to make with some cupboard staples and your choice of spirit. It’s also great as a big batch make for parties! 

Smooth, slightly sweet, tart and with hints of warm cinnamon this cocktail is delicious enough to be your dessert. 

You can easily adapt this recipe and use just about any base spirit you prefer, as well as a mocktail – true versatility! It also uses cheap and easy to get ingredients, great for anyone on a budget.

When choosing your spirit, make sure it’s good quality – it doesn’t need to be top shelf, but it does need to be something you enjoy drinking! I’ve used gin for mine as it’s light and refreshing, however, you can substitute for rum, vodka, whiskey or bourbon if you prefer.

You can really personalise this cocktail, as there are several variations that would work. For example, you could add some spice by adding some ginger beer, a peppery flavor by adding some fresh ginger, or some bubbles by finishing the drink (once in the glass) with a splash of ginger beer. 

To make yours a mocktail, you can either use a 0% alcohol spirit substitute (e.g. Seedlip) or simply leave out the spirit! Or you can replace the alcohol with non-alcoholic sparkling cider (Make sure you add the sparkling cider after the rest is in the glass, and not in the shaker, to prevent your drink from exploding!)

Equipment

• Jar with a tight fitting lid (such as a Mason Jar) or pan 
• Cocktail Shaker 
• Glasses

Ingredients

Cocktail

• 4 ounces Gin
• 4 ounces Apple Cider
• 1 ounce Lime Juice
• 2 ounces Honey Simple Syrup
• Dash Cinnamon

Honey Simple Syrup

• 4oz Honey
• 4oz hot Water

Optional Garnishes

• 1 Apple – cut into matchsticks
• 2 Cinnamon Sticks

Making your Spirited Cider

This is such a simple fast recipe you’ll be sipping your cider in a matter of minutes with just a couple kitchen basic essentials 

Step 1 – Make the honey simple syrup

Add the hot water and honey to a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake the water vigorously until the honey dissolves. You could also do this in a pan on the hob. 

Step 2 – Prepare the cocktail

Combine the spirit, cider, lime juice, honey simple syrup, and cinnamon in a cocktail shaker or pitcher with ice. Shake vigorously until cold to the touch (approx. 10-15 seconds)

Step 3 – Serve

Fill two glasses with ice and matchstick apples. Strain the cocktail into the glasses and garnish with a cinnamon stick. Enjoy!