Spiced Apple and Tangerine Spritz {with mocktail option}

This spiced apple and tangerine spritz is the perfect fancy make-at-home drink for fall! Made with spiced rum (or vodka!), fresh apple cider, bright tangerine juice, and finished with sparkling hard apple cider for a festive and delicious beverage worthy of a toast!

 
Hi! Ok y’all. I’m just going to preface this post by saying that holy-moly I’m not sure I’ve ever made a cocktail at home that I have loved SO dang much.

It is seriously that good.

So good that we’ve been (ahem) “testing” it just about every night as an after-dinner-let’s-play-cards drink. Needless to say, between myself, my husband, our roommate, and friends stopping by our place we’ve THOROUGHLY tested this recipe.

And the funny thing is, we’re not usually the type to even whip up a fancy make-at-home cocktail. We generally reach for a glass of wine, hard cider, or beer (for the boys), with the occasional espresso martini thrown in there before nights out on the town.

BUT THIS DRINK. Oh boy. I’m borderline super-obsessed and just so so excited to share the recipe with you guys.

Because it’s so easy to make! And so lovely to drink.

And absolutely PERFECT for the fall!

All dressed up with fall ingredients like apple cider, juicy and sweet tangerine juice, cinnamon, and spiced rum – or vodka if that’s more your style. But even if you usually aren’t into dark / spiced rums, I would urge you to give it a chance in this spritz cocktail because somehow it just works.

I’m gonna be making this as a little special cocktail for our guests this Thanksgiving by prepping a big batch of the cocktail base (what you make before you top it off with the sparkling hard cider), shaking it over ice, and topping with cider just before serving.

Not the most low maintenance cocktail, but also not the highest maintenance, either.

Read: totally manageable for the big day.

For an even lower maintenance option I also feel like you could store a carafe of the cocktail base in your fridge or cooler, and pour to order (without shaking with ice – obv a good option if you don’t have a cocktail shaker), and then topping with sparkling hard cider.

The bottom line: this spiced apple cider and tangerine spritz is just a little bit more work than pouring wine or cracking open a beer, but 100% worth it.

Plus! If you don’t drink alcohol, or have some kiddos attending your celebration, there’s a super easy non-alcoholic (AKA mocktail) version of this drink I’ve listed in the notes portion of the recipe that is just as good.

This spritz is absolutely brimming with easy fall flavor, and just fancy enough to bring that festive sparkle to your gathering.

how to make a spiced apple cider and tangerine spritz

This spiced apple cider and tangerine spritz is made in two parts:

1. The spiced rum base, which is made of spiced black rum, fresh apple cider (apple juice, not a hard apple cider), tangerine juice, a dash of cinnamon and bitters.
2. Some sparkling hard apple cider to top it off.

The first part is shaken with ice and strained into a glass, and then topped off with just enough sparkling hard cider to fill the glass.

You can garnish your seasonal cocktail with any number of pretty ingredients – a slice of tangerine, an apple slice, some extra cinnamon, or a cinnamon stick!

how to make this cocktail if you don’t have a cocktail shaker

Simply stir the ingredients for the base of the cocktail together with some ice in a large glass until well chilled, then you can either strain out the ice using a mesh strainer from your kitchen, or fish the ice out with a spoon. Divide it amongst your cocktail glasses and top with the sparkling hard cider as the recipe calls for!

how to make a big batch of this cocktail

There’s two ways you could make a big batch of this cocktail if you’re serving a crowd.

1. Mix together a big batch of the cocktail base and store it in the refrigerator to keep it cold, pouring it straight from the fridge into your cocktail glass before topping with the sparkling hard cider.
2. Mix together a big batch of the cocktail base and shake however much is needed over ice and strain into glasses before topping with sparkling hard cider and serving to your guests (or yourself! 😉)

The first option is a bit less high maintenance, but the second isn’t so much extra work if you just keep your shaker out on the counter, and refresh the ice in it as needed.

If you’re only make a few of these cocktails, squeeze your fresh tangerine juice straight from a couple of tangerines (use a fork! This is hands down the best way I’ve learned to juice small citrus.), BUT if you’re making a big batch, Trader Joe’s sells tangerine juice in a half gallon size in their refrigerated section – by all the other fresh squeezed juices. That’s what I’ll be buying for our Thanksgiving cocktails and it will save a ton of time!

That’s the scoop on my new favorite drink, friends! This is the last recipe I have planned for you before Thanksgiving day arrives, so here’s a big cheers to enjoying the most delicious one, yet 💛

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