New favorite cocktail alert: meet the apple cider mezcal margarita.
Yes, another apple cider drink. When you buy a big jug of cider, you need recipes to use it up, and this one is worth the splurge.
Enter the smoky mezcal margarita.
With apple cider.
Years ago I developed a classic apple cider margarita, and later a maple honeycrisp version that tastes like caramel thanks to sweet apples. Both are excellent, but swapping in mezcal gives the cocktail a smoky, warming depth that feels like a bonfire on a crisp night.
If you love apple cider as much as I do, fall is the perfect time to experiment with drinks and recipes that showcase its spice and sweetness. The classic cider margarita remains a favorite, but this mezcal variation adds a charred, smoky note that transforms the drink.
I made the original cider margaritas again recently and thought they were perfect—until I remembered a bottle of mezcal on the bar. Its smokiness suggested a new direction: a margarita that tastes like an autumn bonfire and a hayride.
Fans of mezcal will likely prefer this version. Tequila lovers might stick to the original recipe. I switch between them depending on the day, my mood, and what I’m serving.
This cocktail is slightly smoky and citrusy, with a noticeable orange note, warm cinnamon cider, and a rim coated in spiced sugar.
Serve it beside a bonfire with a big plaid blanket and you’ve got fall perfection.
Apple Cider Mezcal Margarita
Smoky Apple Cider Mezcal Margarita
1
, is easily multiplied
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Ingredients
To rim the glass:
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1 tablespoon cane sugar
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar
- orange wedges
Margarita
- 3 ounces sweet apple cider
- 2 ounces mezcal
- 1 ounce Grand Marnier or orange liqueur
- 1 lime wedge
- cinnamon sticks for garnish
- apple slices for garnish
Instructions
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Stir together the cinnamon, allspice and sugars. Rub an orange wedge around the rim of a glass and dip the rim into the spiced sugar. Fill the glass with ice.
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Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the apple cider, mezcal and Grand Marnier. Squeeze in the lime wedge, then shake for 30 to 60 seconds. Strain into the prepared glass and garnish with apple slices and a cinnamon stick. Enjoy.
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Already craving another.