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A little caramel, a little tart, and a lot of apple. This easy Caramel Apple Cocktail hits all the right fall notes.

Apple cocktails with caramel vodka are quintessential fall drinks. But so often - thanks to the sweetened vodka - caramel apple drinks come out too sweet. With this cocktail, we're balancing out the sweet with fresh lemon juice and the natural tartness in the apple cider.
When it comes to the apple liqueur, you can use your favorite in this drink. I've made it with various apple liqueurs and even apple brandy, and all variations have been delicious.
What You Need
- Apple cider
- Caramel vodka
- Apple liqueur or apple brandy
- Pure maple syrup
- Fresh lemon juice
- Cinnamon
- Sugar
Prepare your glass
Combine cinnamon and sugar in a shallow dish.
Wet the rim of your glass using a little water or lemon juice.
Gently roll the wet portion of the glass into the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Fill the glass with ice and set it aside.
Make your cocktail
Combine remaining ingredients in a shaker filled with ice.
Shake and strain into your prepared glass.
Enjoy!
Tips on Caramel Apple Cocktail
I like Smirnoff Caramel Kiss vodka in this drink. Smirnoff is easy for me to find and the caramel flavor in the vodka is on point with a caramel candy square. Feel free to use your favorite caramel flavored vodka in this cocktail.
Swap apple juice for the apple cider if it's not cider season or you don't have any on hand. Simply brand apple juice is my go-to when I can't find cider but still want a caramel apple cocktail.
You can use apple brandy in place of the apple liqueur if that's what you have on hand or can easily find.
If you'd like to garnish your drink beyond the cinnamon sugar rim, use a slice or two of fresh apple. Slice your apple through its equator to get a fun star design in the middle of the slice from the core. A cinnamon stick or twist of lemon peel would also be fun.
If you don't have 100% pure maple syrup on hand, use brown sugar syrup. Do not use pancake syrup.
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Print the Recipe
PrintCaramel Apple Cocktail
A little caramel, a little tart, and a lot of apple. This easy Caramel Apple Cocktail hits all the right fall notes.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 0 min
- Total Time: 10 min
- Yield: 1 cocktail 1x
- Category: Cocktails
- Method: Cocktail Shaker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 3 oz apple cider
- 1.5 oz caramel vodka
- 1 oz apple brandy
- 0.25 oz pure maple syrup
- 0.25 oz fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp sugar
Instructions
For the glass:
Combine cinnamon and sugar in a shallow dish.
Wet the rim of your glass using a little lemon juice.
Gently roll the wet portion of the glass into the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Set aside.
For the cocktail:
Combine remaining ingredients in a shaker filled with ice.
Shake and strain into your prepared glass filled with ice.
Enjoy!
Keywords: caramel apple, cocktail, caramel vodka, fall drinks, drinking, happy hour
Ruth
That sounds delicious!