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This Apple Pie Margarita combines two fall favorites, apple and pumpkin spice, to make a delicious drink perfect for enjoying all season long!
What is an Apple Pie Margarita?
Apple Pie Margarita is a scrumptious fall-inspired cocktail combining the warm flavors of traditional apple pie in drink form. This margarita includes pumpkin spice, apple juice, and maple syrup in addition to the classic margarita ingredients to mimic the taste and the classic scent of apple pie!
If you're one of those people (like me!) who can eat apple pie straight from the fridge, you're going to love this cocktail recipe -my Pumpkin Spice Margarita is another favorite.
What is the Difference Between Apple Juice and Apple Cider?
Apple cider is made from pressing apples into juice without filtering anything out; it's in its purest form! While apple juice takes the pressed apple and processes it with heat to filter out pulp to create that sweet and golden-colored juice. Whatever you prefer, pulp or no-pulp will work just as well for this recipe.
Ingredients
This Apple Pie Margarita combines warm and spiced flavors to make the perfect fall cocktail! It's made with minimal ingredients and shaken up in minutes, but before you make any substitutions, here is why each ingredient is used:
- Tequila: use your favorite brand of Blanco or Silver.
- Apple juice: freshly juiced or bottled.
- Lime juice: freshly squeezed is best.
- Cointreau or Triple Sec: the essential citrus liquor in every margarita recipe.
- Pumpkin spice: or cinnamon, adds a hint of spice to this cocktail!
- Maple syrup: for a touch of sweetness, you can also use simple syrup.
- Garnishes: cinnamon sugar for rimming, cinnamon sticks, & star anise (optional)
How to Make an Apple Pie Margarita
Grab your cocktail shaker, and let's get shaking! Here is how to make the perfect festive Apple Pie Margarita and some additional tips to ensure the best drink:
- Prep the glass
Sugar or cinnamon sugar, make sure to prep the glass first by coating the rim so you can enjoy your margarita right after making it. - Make the cocktail
Shake, shake, shake to ensure all ingredients are combined. You know it's ready to serve when the sides of the glass are nice and frosted. - Serve & Garnish
Top your glass off with fresh ice, giving the mixture a good strain. Finish with festive decorum like cinnamon sticks or star anise for additional flavor. Enjoy!
What Tequilas go well with Apple Cider
I recommend using a blanco tequila for this recipe. If you're not sure what to use, check out some of my recommendations below:
Can This Apple Pie Margarita Be Made With Apple Cider?
Absolutely! Apple cider has a thicker consistency and is more tart than apple juice, making this margarita less sweet but still incredibly delicious. I have an epic Apple Cider Margarita recipe you can follow if this is your first time trying it. And if it's too tart, add more maple syrup or simple syrup to the shaker.
How to Serve an Apple Pie Margarita
When it comes to the holidays, I like to add festive decorum to my cocktails. Coat the rim in cinnamon sugar for sweetness in every sip, or garnish with traditional elements of an apple pie, like cinnamon sticks or apple slices, for the ultimate pairing!
More Fall Cocktails & Margaritas
If you enjoy shaking up festive cocktails like this one, check out some of my other fall cocktails with tequila, like my delicious Thanksgiving Margarita, this incredible Cinnamon Margarita, and my Cranberry Margarita, for a refreshing twist!
Apple Pie Margarita
Ingredients
- 3 ounces apple juice
- 1 ounce lime juice
- 2 ounces tequila
- ½ ounce Cointreau or triple sec
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin spice or cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or simple syrup, optional
- Cinnamon Sugar, for the rim
Instructions
Prep the glass:
- To make cinnamon sugar, combine 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon in a small dish. Spread it over a flat plate.
- Spread some cinnamon sugar on the plate. Wet the rim of your glass with water or a lime wedge and roll it over the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat.
Make the Marg:
- Fill a shaker with ice. Pour apple cider, lime juice, tequila, Cointreau or triple sec, pumpkin spice or cinnamon, and maple syrup if using. Shake well to combine until the shaker is frosted.
Serve & Garnish:
- Pour cocktail into prepared glass and garnish with cinnamon sticks, star anise, or apple slices (optional). Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use apple juice or apple cider for this cocktail. If using apple cider, try it after mixing and adjust the sweetener if it's too tart.
- Swap pumpkin spice for cinnamon, same amounts.
- Make your own cinnamon sugar with a 4:1 sugar-to-cinnamon ratio.
Mark says
This cocktail was delicious.