Apple Cider Punch

Outside of a pumpkin spice latte, few drinks spark such a longing for the leaves to turn golden and for the weather to cool as apple cider punch. Cinnamon and allspice warm the punch while sugar sweetens it, and ginger ale tops it off with bubbles. You can spike it for adult parties or keep it nonalcoholic for the kiddos.

Pull out that fancy punch bowl you got from your wedding registry all those years ago; it’s time to fill it up! As with most punch recipes, you’ll need to stock up on larger quantities of ingredients than you’re used to. This apple cider punch recipe serves 12, but it always helps to double up. Whether you serve it in dainty punch cups or cute vintage glassware like county fair jars, people will come back for another ladleful.

Apple Cider Punch Ingredients

• Apple cider: You can use apple cider or apple juice in this recipe, but we prefer to use cider when we can find it. Apple juice is sweeter than cider, and with a whole cup of sugar added in this recipe, the sweetness may be overwhelming.
• Sugar: Punch recipes like a fair dose of sugar, but if you’re using apple juice and want to limit the sugars, feel free to play around with different measurements until you find a ratio you like.
• Spices: There’s nothing fancy here, cinnamon and allspice provide the distinctive flavors of fall.
• Orange juice concentrate: As the name suggests, orange juice concentrate has just the juice and none of the water. Instead of mixing the concentrate with water, as you would to make orange juice, mixing the concentrate with cider provides a more complex orange flavor.
• Ginger ale: Sweet and slightly peppery, ginger ale pairs more distinctively with the apple and orange flavors than something like lemon-lime soda.

Directions

Step 1: Dissolve the sugar

Place sugar, spices and 1 cup cider in a saucepan. Cook it over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Once you no longer see granules swirling around, remove the mixture from the heat. Stir in the orange juice concentrate until it fully melts.

Step 2: Refrigerate the punch

Transfer the mixture to a large pitcher and stir in the remaining cider. Refrigerate, covered, until the punch is cold.

Step 3: Serve the punch

To serve, pour the cider into a punch bowl. Stir in the ginger ale just before serving so the bubbles don’t go flat. If desired, garnish your serving glasses with orange slices.

Recipe Variations

• Use whole spices: Allspice berries and cinnamon sticks will infuse your cider with flavor without leaving residue or flakes in your drink (ground cinnamon doesn’t dissolve, so you may prefer using the sticks). Drop two to three cinnamon sticks and about 12 allspice berries into the saucepan mixture so the aromatics get released while the sugar dissolves.
• Swap in ginger beer: Ginger beer (like root beer) is a nonalcoholic drink despite its name. It has more of a kick than ginger ale. Finding liters of ginger beer can be a bit difficult—it’s mostly sold in serving-sized bottles—but some liquor stores will have it. You can also purchase it by the liter online.
• Try another carbonated drink: As we mentioned above, ginger ale makes this punch distinct from other punches made with lemon-lime sodas. For flavor variation, go ahead and try something like Sprite or soda water.

Can you make apple cider punch ahead of time?

You can make most of the apple cider punch recipe up to 24 hours ahead of time, but save adding the ginger ale until just before serving. No one likes a sad bowl of flat punch, so prep everything in the first two steps and then keep your mixture in the fridge until serving time. Once you’re ready, carry on with the final step.

Apple Cider Punch Tips

What is the difference between apple cider and apple juice?

Apple cider and apple juice are both made from freshly pressed apples, but they differ in their bottling processes and flavors. Apple cider goes through minimal processing and remains in its raw, often unpasteurized form. You may notice sediment or pulp at the bottom of apple cider bottles. That’s natural, and not a sign that the liquid has gone bad! Apple juice typically has added sugars and has been pasteurized and filtered for a longer shelf life. The added sugars often make the final taste much sweeter than classic apple cider.

As noted in this recipe, you can use the two interchangeably. It all comes down to the flavor you prefer and what’s available in your grocery store. You may be more likely to see cider bottles during apple harvest season (late summer through fall).

What alcohol is best mixed with apple cider?

For those who like a little something extra in their cider, try a dark liquor. Our mulled cider recipe uses brandy, but you can also opt for bourbon or whiskey. You can mix 1/2 to 1 cup liquor into the punch bowl itself or add 1 ounce to each glass before ladling in the cider.