Name: Apple Cider Margarita Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 2 oz silver tequila; 1 oz apple cider; 1 oz simple syrup; 0.5 oz fresh lime juice; 0.25 oz orange liqueur (triple sec); Raw sugar and/or course salt (for the rim)

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Sweet apple cider, tart lime juice, and your favorite tequila combine for a delicious fall cocktail with these Apple Cider Margaritas.

A glass of apple cider margarita cocktail.

Margaritas are my favorite cocktail, but they're not just for enjoying in the heat of summer! Why not bring them into fall by adding some delicious fresh apple cider from my favorite local orchard?!

Fall is my favorite time of year and apple cider cocktails are a must during the fall months. If you’re anything like me, you can’t resist buying jugs of apple cider every time you visit an apple orchard. Here in Michigan that happens very frequently in the fall! Which is good because apple recipes are all I want to make.

This apple cider margarita recipe is a great use of all that delicious apple cider and put a fall twist on a favorite Mexican cocktail. They're the perfect balance of sweet and tart, great for serving at fall happy hours, on Taco Tuesdays, or even with Thanksgiving dinner.

This recipe gives you lots of ways to make it your own. While I prefer it with silver tequila, it is also delicious with gold, reposado tequila. Or make the rim all sugar, all salt, or a combination (like I did for these pictures), depending on your preference.

What’s in an Apple Cider Margarita

Ingredients for an apple cider margarita.

Blanco tequila - Choose your favorite blanco (silver) tequila for this recipe.
Apple cider - You need fresh apple cider for this recipe. If you can't find any, use unfiltered apple juice like Simply Apple.
Limes - Squeeze lime juice is always best. You will need approximately one lime per drink for this recipe.
Simple syrup - Plain simple syrup in this recipe because it had sweetness without changing the flavor. Make your own at home in minutes see my simple syrup recipe page for all the instructions. Prefer a little more fall flavor? Swap out the simple syrup for maple syrup or brown sugar syrup.
Orange liqueur - A classic margarita ingredients, little orange flavor enhances the apple cider. Choose your favorite orange liqueur for this recipe, like triple sec, Cointreau, or Grand Marnier.
Course salt and or raw sugar (for the rim) - This combination is entirely up to you. I love salt with my margaritas, so there's always some salt on the rim of my glass. But if you don't, feel free to go for all sugar.

How To Make An Apple Cider Margarita

A hand rolling the rim of a glass in a mixture of salt and raw sugar.

A hand holding tongs and placing a large ice cube in a rocks glass.

Pour the sugar and/or salt onto a small plate. Run a lime slice around the rim of the glass and dip it into the salt/sugar mixture. Fill the glass with ice and set it aside.

Apple cider being poured into a cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes and tequila.

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes, combine tequila, apple cider, lime juice, simple syrup, triple sec.

A hand pouring a cocktail shaker of apple cider margarita into a rocks glass.

Cover and shake well. Strain into your prepared glass. Sip and enjoy.

A glass of apple cider margarita with a salt/sugar rim, garnished with a slice of apple and lime.

Make Your Own Simple Syrup

Simple syrup is an easy, two ingredient combination of water and white sugar that you can make at home in a matter of minutes using your microwave. Get all the instructions and quantities for your own simple syrup over on my simple syrup recipe page.

A jar of simple syrup set among a spilled jar of white sugar.

Ways to Garnish an Apple Cider Margarita

The margaritas in these photos are garnished with a mixture of coarse salt and raw sugar for the rim, along with fresh apple slices and lime wheels. All sugar or all salt rims would also be delicious along with a lime wedge for garnish.

If you're really craving the fall vibe, add even more fall twists to this recipe by garnishing with cinnamon sticks or a cinnamon sugar rim.

Looking down on glasses on apple cider margarita garnished with slices of apple and lime.

What to Serve with Apple Cider Margaritas

Make it a Mexican themed happy hour with some homemade tortilla chips, 5 minute blender salsa, and serve up both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options with this delicious margarita mocktail.

Looking for More Margarita Recipes?

Margaritas are one of my favorite cocktails, so you will find lots of options for them on this site. Try my triple citrus margarita, a hibiscus margarita, or a creamy coconut margarita, as well as a classic margarita.

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