This Apple Bourbon Cocktail with a splash of pomegranate juice is the perfect holiday cocktail! We love it for Thanksgiving or Christmas and our guests love it too:). Plus it’s so easy to make and you don’t need any special bartending skills.
Apple Juice or Apple Cider?
You can use either or:). Pick your favorite. Apple juice is easier to find in regular grocery stores, it’s available year round and it’s sweet. Apple cider has a shorter shelf life and is minimally processed. It’ll be less sweet and slightly tangy.
Outside of USA, apple cider might refer to an alcoholic drink. For the purpose of this article, both apple juice and apple cider are non-alcoholic.
How To Pick The Best Bourbon?
If you have any bourbon on hand, start with that and play around with the ingredients of this drink to adjust it to your taste.
Next, buy your favorite bourbon and if you don’t know how to pick then ask for advice in the liquor aisle. Finally, if no help is available, pick something mid-range or look for reviews online on best bourbon to buy in your area.
If you don’t have any bourbon, try this drink with brandy. Even though the drink is served on ice, this is a warm drink in the sense of that it’ll warm you up after few sips.
Substitutes
Here are some variations of this cocktail that you’ll love as well. And they all still fit the festive mood that this drink exudes:).
Let’s talk about garnishes first. I love to garnish my cocktail with a slice of apple, a star anise and a cinnamon stick. You can add some pomegranate seeds to float on the cocktail and it will look beautiful.
Also, greens like rosemary sprigs or thyme sprigs look really beautiful and festive on this cocktail.
I love using ginger beer (it’s non alcoholic despite the name) to add some bubbles and spice to the cocktail. You can use sparkling water or ginger ale instead. Any lemon/lime soda would work as well. If using sparkling water, your drink will be less sweet.
Finally, you can use a splash of cranberry juice instead of pomegranate juice:).
Apple Bourbon Cocktail
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 oz bourbon
- 3 oz apple juice can use apple cider as well
- 1 lemon juice it
- 1-2 oz ginger beer
- 1 apple, sliced for garnish
- splash pomegranate juice
- 1 star anise for garnish
- 1 cinnamon stick for garnish
- ice as needed
Instructions
- Slice apple for garnish and set it aside. Juice the lemon.
- Add about a cup of ice on the cocktail shaker. Add bourbon, apple juice and lemon juice. Shake for about 30-60 seconds, usually the shaker becomes so cold it's hard to hold on to.
- Add more ice to the serving glass, pour the shaken cocktail over ice. Then add 1 apple slice as garnish.
- Pour ginger beer and a splash of pomegranate juice. Finally add a star anise as garnish and a cinnamon stick. Cheers:)
Notes
- Nutrition facts are estimated.
- Please drink responsibly!
Nutrition Label
Nutrition
Yes you can:). I would mix bourbon, apple juice and lemon juice in a pitcher. Don’t add ice on the pitcher so it doesn’t dilute the drink. Refrigerate if needed before the party. Then serve in individual cocktail glasses over ice and add ginger beer and pomegranate juice as you are serving. Cheers!
Yes, I’ve seen few labels that have come up with apple flavored bourbons. And I’d definitely use them for this drink. There are other labels that produce bourbon with an apple hint but not overpowering flavor. Either type is fine for this drink, go with your preference.
If you would like to save this recipe for later, please save the below image to your boards in Pinterest. Let me know if you have any questions in comments:). Feel free to tag me in social media with your pictures of this recipe. Thank you:)).
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More Festive Cocktail
Feel free to check out some of my other cocktail recipes:
- Sugared Cranberries Moscow Mule
- Strawberry Açai Moscow Mule
- Coconut Christmas Cocktail
- Grapefruit Elderflower Cocktail
- Meyer Lemon Drop
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