Sparkling Apple Cider is a refreshing holiday punch with tangy sweetness and a bit of fizz. Apple slices and cinnamon sticks make it pretty!
This simple holiday drink is one of my favorites! It’s a fun twist on the traditional and I love the combination of flavors.
Table of contents
How To Make Sparkling Apple Cider
Step One: Add Garnishes
To make this sparkling apple cider look pretty in a glass pitcher and to add flavor, start by adding some garnishes.
Slice an apple horizontally to get the pretty star shape in the middle and remove the seeds.
Put the apple slices, cinnamon sticks, whole clove, and whole allspice in a 2-quart glass pitcher.
Step Two: Apple Juice
Pour in the apple juice or apple cider. It’s not always easy to find apple cider at the local grocery stores so regular apple juice works too.
Step Three: Orange Juice
Add the orange juice concentrate and stir to mix. Orange juice concentrate gives the sparkling apple cider some tangy sweetness that goes perfectly with the apple juice and cinnamon.
Step Four: Ginger Ale
The sparkling part of the sparkling apple cider comes from the ginger ale. I sugesset adding it right before serving so that it is still sparkling when served.
Step Five: Garnish Cups
To make each individual serving look pretty, put ice in glass cups and add apple slices, cinnamon sticks, and spices before filling them with sparkling apple cider.
Tonia’s Notes
Isn’t it fascinating how every family has their own holiday traditions and that includes what gets served at holiday dinners? I love hearing about all of the things that other families have on their Thanksgiving menu and discovering new favorites.
This sparkling apple cider is inspired by my sister-in-law’s family. They always serve it for Thanksgiving and Christmas and keep it in the fridge during the week surrounding the holidays. It is now a favorite of mine as well and wanted to share it with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but will not add as much flavor as the orange juice concentrate does.
Follow the steps three steps and place the pitcher in the fridge. Slice additional apples and soak them in club soda for three minutes to prevent browning. Add the ginger ale before serving.
Yes! We love the flavor of ginger ale but you can also use a lemon-lime soda such as Sprite or 7-Up.
More Holiday Drinks
- Cranberry Orange Holiday Punch is perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Frosty Mocha Punch is a tasty family tradition!
- Slow Cooker Apple Cider is a must during the fall.
- Pomegranate Lime Holiday Punch is super pretty and so refreshing.
- Cranberry Punch is cool and creamy!
Sparkling Apple Cider
Video
Ingredients
- 4 cups apple cider (or apple juice)
- 4 cups ginger ale
- ¼ cup orange juice concentrate
Optional Garnishes
- 2 apples
- 11 cinnamon sticks
- ½ teaspoon whole cloves
- ½ teaspoon whole allspice
Instructions
- Thinly slice one of the apples horizontally, remove the seeds and place the slices in a 2-quart glass pitcher. Add 3 cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and whole allspice.
- Pour the apple cider or apple juice into the pitcher.
- Stir in the orange juice concentrate.
- When preparing ahead of time, stop at this point and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Add the ginger ale.
- Thinly slice the second apple horizontally and remove the seeds. Put ice cubes, an apple slice, and a cinnamon stick into 8 glasses.
- Pour the sparkling apple cider into the glasses and serve.
