Apple Cider Is The Base Of Ree Drummond's Fall Twist On A Classic Cocktail

If you think margaritas are only for beach weather, think again. By simply adding apple cider to your margarita, you can turn it into the perfect fall cocktail to sip as the weather gets colder. Food writer and culinary celebrity Ree Drummond has come up with the tastiest apple cider margarita recipe that only takes 5 minutes to put together.

The Pioneer Woman's fall-inspired margarita uses the following ingredients: apple cider, silver tequila, orange juice, orange liqueur, and soda water. She also suggests adding a couple slices of red delicious or gala apples for garnish. As for the sugar rim, she uses turbinado sugar (a less processed form of sugar that naturally retains a small amount of molasses, giving it a caramel color and flavor), apple pie spice, and maple syrup to help the spiced sugar stick to the glass. 

This cocktail is shaken, not stirred, which is the general rule for margaritas. For the best result, shake the cider, tequila, orange juice, and liqueur with ice in a cocktail shaker such as the OXO Steel Single Wall Cocktail Shaker. Once it's nice and cold, pour the drink into an ice-filled glass and top with a splash of soda water like club soda or seltzer water. There are numerous recipes for tasty fall-inspired tequila drinks that'll have you looking at margaritas in a whole new light. Of course, you can always leave out the alcohol for a delightful, refreshing, fall-themed mocktail to serve to guests of all ages. 

While summer cocktails are commonly made with citrus and tropical fruits, autumn-inspired beverages incorporate seasonal flavors like apples, cranberries, cinnamon, and pumpkin. Fall margaritas often incorporate both summer and fall flavors in a refreshing drink that's perfect for sweater weather. You know summer is ending when you start seeing pumpkin spice everything in stores, from Oreos and lattes to Cheerios and dog treats. It's also the perfect seasonal ingredient to transform your margarita into a drink more suitable for fall. Make a yummy pumpkin spice margarita with tequila, brown sugar, Cointreau, pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin purée, lime juice, and bitters. Add a simple pumpkin spice rim to your cocktail composed of pumpkin pie spice and sugar. 

Autumn-inspired cocktails are not limited to pumpkin and apple cider flavors, however. Think outside the box and create a Thanksgiving-inspired margarita with cranberry juice, lime juice, tequila, and cinnamon simple syrup. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and a cinnamon sugar rim to boost the sweetness.

For a tequila drink that's as pretty as it is yummy, try a cinnamon hibiscus margarita. Mix pre-made hibiscus simple syrup, like 1883 Hibiscus Syrup, with tequila, lime juice and agave nectar for a deep red-purple margarita with a fruity and subtle floral flavor. Or, put a homemade touch on your drink and make your own hibiscus syrup from scratch by boiling dried hibiscus flowers, sugar, and water. Add a cinnamon sugar rim and cinnamon sticks for a special touch.