This perfect fall cocktail recipe combines bubbly prosecco, Fireball cinnamon whisky, and apple cider. It’s our editor’s fall favorite!
When we first started dating in 2015, my wife and I planned a weekend trip to the mountains of North Carolina.
Anywhere remotely close to the Blue Ridge Parkway is an incredible place to be in the fall, and I say this as a New England boy who grew up spoiled by the foliage. By 2015, I’d lived in North Carolina for nearly a decade, and while I’d made my share of trips west to Asheville, I hadn’t spent nearly enough time in the mountains.
For our first fall together, we booked a cabin in Bryson City in late October or early November to coincide with the fiery blaze of leaves. It quickly became a tradition, and so did the cocktail we now associate with it — and fall more broadly.
I’m sure we found the original recipe online somewhere, but it’s long since been lost to the sands of time. And more importantly, we’ve modified it a decent amount over the years to make it the way we like it.
The recipe is intentionally simple. As an outgrowth of a vacation experience, we certainly didn’t have a full bar at our disposal. I can’t say I’ve ever stayed at an Airbnb that had one, but this particular stay is decidedly more rustic — not quite glamping, but still the kind of place where you wouldn’t be surprised to see a bear and where you’d be in big trouble if your car didn’t start in the morning (as briefly happened to us there once).
Whisky Apple Cider Cocktail Ingredients
This recipe relies on three ingredients — Fireball cinnamon whisky, fresh apple cider, and prosecco or some other form of sparkling wine.
Use whatever kind of bubbles you like for this — we’re inconsistent with the prosecco, usually grabbing a grocery store bottle off the shelf that’s not the literal cheapest option, but not far from it, either. I’d argue the quality of the apple cider is actually most important here, as it can significantly influence the taste of the drink. Fresh apple cider, especially if you can find it from somewhere local, is ideal.
Use more or less of the cider or sparkling wine as you see fit, or experiment with sparkling apple cider itself. You could use Champagne if you have it on hand, but that strikes me as a waste of money when mixing it with something as hefty as apple cider and cutting it with something as harsh as cinnamon whisky.
Tip: You can also make homemade cinnamon whiskey if you’d prefer!
The Fireball whisky is essential. It gives the drink some of its cinnamon flavor, but it also offers the zip that makes it interesting. I know this may not be many people’s whiskey of choice and it has a hard-drinking, party-time reputation, but in this cocktail the pairing isn’t over-the-top.
I prefer to add a cinnamon stick to each drink as both a garnish and for some more cinnamon flavor. You could stir in a sprinkle of actual cinnamon — I find this to be to strong, however. Thinly sliced apple would also make a great garnish. I’ve done it on occasion but I don’t think it’s essential.
Related Recipes
You may also like these similarly seasonal apple cider recipe ideas:
Be sure to explore more of our favorite fall cocktail recipes!
Bubbly Whisky Apple Cider Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 shot Fireball whisky
- ½ glass apple cider
- ½ glass prosecco
- 1 cinnamon stick to garnish
Instructions
- Pour one shot of Fireball whisky into the bottom of your glass of choice. Fill glass halfway with apple cider and stir.
- Fill rest of glass with the prosecco of your choice. Stir gently.
- Top with a cinnamon stick for flavor and garnish. You could also add very thin apple slices.
- Enjoy!