Make a Dangerously Delicious Apple Cider Rye Cocktail in 3 Steps

Everyone deserves a good pick-me-up cocktail, and this is an absolute must for welcoming the Fall season! This Apple Cider Rye Cocktail is amazingly spiced, refreshing, and of course, boozy! It perfectly pairs rye whiskey with an apple cider concentrate that will leave your home smelling amazing. Keep reading to learn my tried and true recipe!

A Personal Note

My Dad has been dubbed the family mixologist. This was the first cocktail recipe he ever concocted for us at the beginning of his mixologist adventure, so it holds a special place in my heart… along with a musical trigger!

Anytime I mix up this cocktail, I can’t help but to start humming Tex Ritter’s version of “Rye Whiskey.” The lyrics, “It’s a whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey I cry, if I don’t get rye whiskey, well, I think I will die,” pretty much sums up how much I love this Dangerously Delicious Apple Cider Rye Cocktail recipe!

Dangerously Delicious Apple Cider Rye Cocktail Recipe

1 Make the Apple Cider Concentrate

This recipe involves first making an apple cider concentrate, which involves reducing the liquid volume of traditional apple cider by half. A gallon of apple cider will yield 1/2 gallon of concentrate. Of course, I advise you learn how to make home made apple cider first.

To make the apple cider concentrate, add your apple cider to a large pot on the stovetop. On medium heat, bring the cider to a gentle boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer for one to two hours, stirring occasionally. Monitor the liquid volume to ensure it reduces by half, and not more.

Once the apple cider has simmered down to half the liquid volume, let it cool to room temperature. Then, run the cider concentrate through a mesh strainer to remove any impurities and pour back into the apple cider jug using a funnel.

Allow the apple cider concentrate to chill in the refrigerator before using it in your cocktail. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to one month, so plan your cocktail-making endeavor accordingly!

2 Locate the Whiskey

“It’s a whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey I cry!”

For this cocktail recipe, use whiskey rye!

When making this Apple Cider Rye Cocktail, I prefer to use either Bullet Rye Frontier Whiskey or Ezra Brooks Straight Rye Whiskey. Both are pretty affordable rye whiskeys with great taste! My local liquor store usually carries them. My husband has also substituted it for bourbon on occasion, and it still tastes pretty dangerously delicious.

3 Make the Apple Cider Rye Cocktail

Fill a low baller drink glass with ice, then cut a slice of fresh orange rind and run it around the rim of the low baller glass (as shown in the image below). Toss the orange rind into the glass for garnish. This step really makes a difference for the taste of the apple cider rye cocktail, so don’t skip it!

Set the glass aside for now, and add a few ice cubes to a cocktail shaker, along with one ounce of rye whiskey. My favorite shot glasses are beakers that measure in milliliters. I love them because of the pour spout! 30 milliliters equals one ounce.

Next, add three ounces of apple cider concentrate to the cocktail shaker and get shaking! Finally, pour through the strainer into the prepared glass, and enjoy!

Beware that this Apple Cider Rye Cocktail truly is dangerously delicious, so please always remember to drink responsibly!

Making a Pitcher

If you’re making this delicious cocktail for a group, here’s how to mix a pitcher that will yield about ten servings of apple cider rye cocktails:

• Add four cups of chilled apple cider concentrate to a pitcher.
• Add 1 1/3 cups of rye whiskey. You can add a little more for stronger drinks.
• Remember to prepare glasses by running an orange rind around the rim and filling with ice. You can go ahead and add the orange rind slice and cinnamon stick to the glasses as well.
• At times I will toss a few slices of fresh orange and cinnamon sticks directly into the pitcher. This really makes the pitcher look beautiful.

Other Options for the Concentrate

Cooking down the apple cider into a concentrate is delicious, but for those who are health conscious, it is higher in sugar per serving. So for those of you with health concerns, or who are just short on time, here are some other options:

• Apple Cider: You can use just straight-up apple cider. The cocktail will not have as concentrated a flavor, but since it is not concentrated, it will be lower in sugar per serving and will provide more yield to make drinks.
• Apple Cider Drink Packets: If you are just making this for yourself and don’t want to buy a half-gallon or gallon of apple cider, you can use Apple Cider Instant Drink Mix. This is also a lower calorie option.

Drink Up!

Now you know how to make a Dangerously Delicious Apple Cider Rye Cocktail! I hope this recipe adds some spice to your fall spirit and inspires you to start your own mixology adventures. If you’re interested in more DIY adult and child beverages, check out these other awesome recipes:

• Easy Homemade Cherry Limeade
• The Perfect Summer Cocktail: Cherry Vodka Sour
• How to Make Blackberry Wine

Excited for more apple content? Visit my apple trees page to learn more about apple planting, growing, picking, cooking, and more!

Still thirsty for more? Then discover our other fruit recipes to stock up your kitchen with nature’s healthy and tasty goodies!