This apple cider margarita is a fall twist on the classic: tequila, Cointreau, orange, and lime, softened with fresh apple cider and warmed with mulling spices, then finished with a cinnamon sugar rim. It’s quick to shake and easy to dress up as a Halloween party cocktail.
This Apple Cider Margarita is a fall-inspired twist on a classic cocktail recipe. Who says that a margarita is only for the summer? With the addition of apple cider, this cocktail blends the refreshing tang of lime, the warmth of cinnamon, and the intriguing distilled citrus of the Cointreau. Serve in a spooky-inspired goblet as a Halloween cocktail and enjoy! Also check out our other apple cider recipes, including Vegan Apple Cider Muffins and Cranberry Kombucha Apple Cider Rum Punch.
Using Mulling Spices in Our Apple Cider Margarita
This Apple Cider Margarita calls for mulling spices, which are a combination of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg. If you have those in your kitchen, you can make mulling spices yourself and customize with your favorite other spices like cardamom and star anise. But you can also buy a mix at the store and use it in other fall recipes like mulled wine as the days get shorter!
Why You’ll Love This Apple Cider Margarita
It’s seasonal. Fresh apple cider and warm spices turn a summer favorite into a fall drink. It’s easy. Everything goes into a shaker with ice, then you strain and serve. It’s balanced. Lime brings tang, Cointreau brings citrus, and cider and cinnamon bring warmth. And it’s festive. Serve it in a spooky goblet for Halloween or use the cinnamon sugar rim to dress it up for any autumn party.
Shop Local for This Cocktail
Buy fresh cider at a local orchard or cider mill.
A safety tip about cider: this is a no-cook drink, so the cider isn’t heated. Unpasteurized cider sold in packages must carry a warning label, but cider sold by the glass at orchards and farmers markets may not, so ask. Children, older adults, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk from untreated cider. If any of them are among your guests, choose pasteurized cider.
Ingredient Notes: Cointreau, Tequila, and the Margarita
Cointreau. Adolphe and Édouard-Jean Cointreau, two confectioners, founded their distillery in Angers, France, in 1849. Édouard-Jean’s son Édouard later created the clear orange liqueur, which blends sweet and bitter orange peels, and it’s now used in hundreds of cocktails. Sources differ on whether that was 1875 or 1885.
The margarita. “Margarita” is Spanish for “daisy,” and the drink is closely related to the Daisy family of cocktails, made with a spirit, citrus, and liqueur. Several bartenders and hosts claim to have invented it in the 1930s and 1940s, including Margarita Sames, who is said to have created it in Acapulco in 1948, so its true origin is debated.
Mulling spices. A blend of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg, often used for mulled wine and mulled cider. Here, a teaspoon gives the cocktail its warmth.
Tips for Making an Apple Cider Margarita
Rim the glass first. Run a lime wedge around the rim of the glass, then dip it in a plate of cinnamon sugar, such as about 3 parts sugar to 1 part ground cinnamon.
Shake with ice. Place all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake. The ingredients are the cider, tequila, Cointreau, orange juice, mulling spices, and the juice of one lime.
Strain over fresh ice. Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice, with the cinnamon sugar rim, so the spices stay out of the glass.
Garnish and serve. Garnish with lime wheel before serving.
Looking for more? Try our Apple Cider Negroni, Apple Cider Manhattan Game Day Cocktail, and Halloween treats to make with kids. See all of our apple cider recipes, and browse TABLE’s Cocktails and Fall recipes.
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Apple Cider Margarita
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 cocktails 1x
Description
Tequila, Cointreau, apple cider, orange juice, and lime shaken with mulling spices and served over fresh ice with a cinnamon sugar rim.
Ingredients
- 3 oz apple cider
- 1.5 oz tequila
- 1.5 oz Cointreau
- 1.5 oz freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 tsp mulling spices
- Juice of 1 lime
- Cinnamon sugar for the rim (3 parts sugar to 1 part cinnamon)
- Lime wheel to garnish
- Ice, for shaking and serving
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a shaker with ice.
- Shake and strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice and a cinnamon sugar rim.
- Garnish with lime wheel before serving.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Cocktail, drink
- Method: Shaken
- Cuisine: American, Mexican-inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cocktail
- Calories: 200
Apple Cider Margarita FAQs
Can I serve an apple cider margarita as a Halloween cocktail?
Yes. Serve it in a spooky-inspired goblet, as in our photo, or in a rocks glass with a cinnamon sugar rim.
What are mulling spices?
A blend of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg. You can make your own and customize it with cardamom and star anise or buy a mix at the store.
How strong is this margarita?
It has 1.5 oz of tequila and 1.5 oz of Cointreau, so it’s about two standard drinks before the cider and juice. Pace yourself.
What kind of apple cider should I use?
Fresh apple cider works best. Ask whether it’s pasteurized, and choose pasteurized cider for children, older adults, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems.
Can I make it for a crowd?
The recipe is written for two drinks.
About the Recipe Author
Anna Franklin is TABLE Magazine’s food stylist and recipe developer. A Pittsburgh native and graduate of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Academy of Culinary Arts, she spent many years cooking in restaurant kitchens and photo studios before moving into food styling. Anna tests, plates, and styles the recipes and restaurant features in TABLE’s print and digital editions, working alongside photographers Dave Bryce and Laura Petrilla. She is also the founder of Bazaaa Sauce, a Pittsburgh hot sauce microbrand. Read more of her work at TABLE.
About the Photographer
Dave Bryce is TABLE Magazine’s contributing architecture, interiors, and food photographer, based in Pittsburgh. He photographed Fallingwater: Living With and In Art (Rizzoli, 2025) and regularly shoots for Pittsburgh Magazine and American Farmhouse Style, working with architects, interior designers, and hospitality brands. See more at davebrycephotography.com.
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