I’ve had this apple cider sitting in the fridge waiting to be used. Whatever shall I do with it? The boys enjoyed some hot cider on a chilly morning hike, but I wanted to spike it up for the grown ups.
Then came the question of which alcohols to use. I was in the mood for spiced rum and it seemed to go well with cider. Then I was inspired, both by a mistaken purchase and memories of a favorite apple dessert.
It began when I arrived home from the liquor store and noticed I bought a bottle of hazelnut liqueur, the problem being I apparently already had a bottle, UNOPENED no less! I blame it on the fact that much of our alcohol sits in a box in the garage since there isn’t enough room in the house. That kind of makes it easy to forget things.
So back to my drink. We have spiced rum and apple cider. The hazelnut liqueur is the perfect match. After all my favorite apple dessert is an apple tart. I frequently make it with hazelnuts instead of almonds so I know I love that combination. Now all we need is a dollop of whipped cream to top it off.
There you have it, a hint of nut and spice make the perfect apple cider cocktail. Sean seems to have benefitted from this as well. After I photographed the drink he asked for a hot apple cider and used the cinnamon stick as a straw. He thought it was the neatest thing ever and told his brothers as soon as they got off the bus! As for forgetting what alcohol we have, I rearranged the pantry later that day and now have everything in one place!
Nutty Spiced Apple Cider
6 oz. apple cider
3/4 oz. hazelnut liqueur
3/4 oz. spiced rum
Whipped cream
Heat the apple cider, add liquors and stir. Top with a dollop of whipped cream.
Yields one serving
Feeding My 3 Sons 
This looks so delicious. The perfect Autumn tipple. I wish I could pop round for a glass. Have a great weekend. Emma.
I’ll have a glass ready for you! It is a wonderful autumn drink, especially as our temperatures get ready to cool again.
fantastic! Always a fan of cocktails made with more than one type of spirit. And temps are dipping into the low 30s for me next week, so time to brush up on the warm weather sippers. Plenty of apple cider on hand, so appreciate the recipe. Yum 🙂
Our lows may hit the 30s so I’m up for a hot cocktail too! Enjoy the weekend and stay warm!
I love your description of “spiking up for grown ups”. Hazelnut flavoured liqueur sounds like a great addition and spiced rum enhances the flavour too. I love the idea of using cinnamon sticks as a straw. I never thought of that ever!
Sean certainly loved his cinnamon stick straw! I never would have thought of it either. A spiked cider is always nice and the hazelnut/spiced rum combination was fabulous. Enjoy your weekend.
Thank you. Have a lovely week. Is the cold hitting your area?? Parts of Canada had tons of snow…and cold in the West!
I love fall and winter for this reason, warm cocktails…Love Apple Cider!!! 🙂
Warm cocktails are the best! They warm you from the inside and are great hand warmers while holding them!
Now *this* is a Fall cocktail! I can only imagine how good one would taste following an afternoon of raking leaves — or watching a neighbor do it. 🙂
If only I could sip on it without spilling while in the hammock watching the boys rake and play in the leaves!