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Apple Cider Bourbon Smash

Name: Apple Cider Bourbon Smash
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 lemon ((cut in half then each half in quarters. You will end up with eight pieces)); 4 ounces bourbon; 5 ounces apple cider; 1 slice apple wheel ((thinly sliced - seeds removed and cut in half)); 2 cinnamon stick; 4 sprigs fresh thyme

Last updated on March 1, 2020. Originally posted on September 24, 2022 By Elaine 32 Comments

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This apple cider bourbon smash is a dreamy cocktail recipe that comes together with just three ingredients. It’s the perfect festive drink to serve all season long!

Vertical view of the beveled glass with the bourbon smash with cinnamon, apple and thyme

Hard Liquor

Bourbon, oh, how I love thee. That wasn’t always the truth. In fact, my nose used to crinkle at the thought of sipping it.

But then I aged, just like a good barrel of bourbon.

And now I love the flavor of this liquor. My favorite bourbon cocktail is a Manhattan but this apple cider bourbon smash recipe is rising in the ranks, and I look forward October and November when I can get good, fresh apple cider.

It’s such a fun drink that combines great ingredients to make the best holiday cocktail! Try it at your next Thanksgiving gathering.

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Helpful tips

Muddlers come in handy when you are crafting cocktails. But if you don’t have one, you can use the back of a wooden spoon to extract the juice and the zest from a lemon.
Do you like regular whiskey better than bourbon? Just make an apple cider whiskey smash by substituting the same amount of whiskey for bourbon.
Apple cider is sweet, so there is no need to use a sweetener. Try the recipe as written and if you find it needs some sweetener, only add ¼ ounce of either simple syrup, maple syrup, or honey.
I like to use fresh herbs for garnish. My two favorites are thyme and mint, but basil is another great choice.
For the apple garnish, you can use any apple you prefer but my favorites are Macintosh, Honeycrisp, Fuji, and Granny Smith apples.

How to make the this apple cider bourbon smash

Pre-step

Get a cocktail shaker, a measuring glass, muddler and double old fashioned glasses.

With a sharp knife, cut a thin apple slice from the equator of an apple, cut in half and then cut out the seeds and the core. Set it aside for garnish along with two cinnamon sticks.

After measuring out the ingredients, pour them into the cocktail shaker.

Step one

Gather the ingredients – bourbon, apple cider and lemon. (A)

Step two

Cut the lemon in half and then cut each half in quarters. You will end up with 8 wedges. (B)

Left - bourbon, apple cider, lemon, and an apple. Right - cut up lemon on a plate with lemon in the back

Step three

Add the lemon to the shaker and muddle the wedges for at least 2 minutes. You want to extract as much of the fresh lemon juice and zest from the skins as you can. Look at it all! (C)

Step four

Measure out 4 ounces of bourbon. (D)

Left - a glass cocktail shaker with lemon muddled. Right - bourbon measured out

Step five

Measure 5 ounces of apple cider. (E)

That’s one robust-looking cocktail. (F)

Apple cider measured out and the ingredients in the shaker

Step seven

Add fresh ice to the glasses. I use big ice cubes.

Add 1 cup of ice to the shaker, cap it and shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Strain, divide and pour the drink between the two glasses.

Step eight

Add a half slice of apple and one cinnamon stick to each glass. I also add fresh thyme sprigs to each glass, but that is optional.

two glasses with the apple cider bourbon smash with apples, lemon and cinnamon sticks in them

Let’s take a closer look at the bourbon whiskey apple cider cocktail. (That’s a mouthful, isn’t it?)

A table with fruit on it with two glasses of the apple cider cocktail

And the other glass.

A glass on a wooden board filled with the apple bourbon smash with more apples and lemons

Here’s the vertical view of this delicious cocktail.

Double old fashioned glass filled with the lemon, apple cider and bourbon, with apple, cinnamon and thyme as garnish

I hope you enjoyed this apple cider bourbon smash cocktail recipe. It’s so delicious.

Other bourbon recipes

And as always, may all your dishes/drinks be delish!

If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog, I’d love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!