This delicious sparkling caramel apple drink is a fun and festive drink that’s kid-friendly yet delicious enough for the adults! You only need a few ingredients to make this yummy caramel apple cider mocktail for an entire crowd!
I’ve talked about it a little bit before, but I’m big sucker for a good mocktail or fancy non-alcoholic drink. I’ve shared my favorite strawberry mocktail, holiday punch, and even a homemade fruit punch before.
Today is more of a Thanksgiving or fall drink – a caramel apple drink to be exact because what’s more fall than caramel apples. It’s fun for the kids but delicious enough that adults will enjoy it as well.
And the best part is that it’s super easy to make, even if you’re making a bunch of them!
Oh and it only takes a few ingredients, so that’s helpful too! Plus how amazing does it look? It’s the perfect solution for a non-alcoholic drink that doesn’t make anyone feel like they’re missing out on something fancy.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Caramel sauce – this is totally optional but is a fun way to add some garnish to the drink and make it a bit more festive.
- Sprinkles – these are also optional but can make this drink a lot more festive looking!
- Whipped cream – this is also optional. The drink is still yummy without the whipped cream but it really adds a nice creaminess to the caramel apple flavor when you top it with whipped cream, kind of like hot chocolate!
Also, don’t skip using both the regular apple cider and the sparkling apple cider together. The two combined are what makes this drink really shine, with the caramel syrup of course.
How to Make the Caramel Apple Drink
I mentioned it already but this drink is super easy to make. So easy that I almost feel silly showing you how. It’s pretty foolproof, which is lucky because not all drinks are!
This recipe is written using 12 oz glasses, which is the size of a small mason jar or well a 12 oz glass. It’s also written to make eight drinks but you could always just make as many as you need using the modified measurements.
Pour about 6 oz (3/4 cup) of the sparkling apple cider into a glass.
Top that with 2/3 cup of the regular apple cider. This will almost fill the glass, but not quite. You should have about an inch remaining from the top of the glass.
Next is where you have a little leeway since you’re going to add the caramel syrup. You want to add enough caramel syrup to the apple cider that it’ll actually impact the taste of the syrup but not overwhelm it.
I personally like to add about 1 tsp of the syrup to each glass to really add caramel flavor, but you can also go with less like 1/2 tsp or just a quick dash to each glass.
Maybe make your own first, see how it tastes, and decide from there. You do want it to have caramel apple taste so err on the side of a bit more than less.
Stir the flavoring in once you add it so that the caramel and apple can all mingle together nicely.
Tip!
Make it easier on yourself and just fill half the glass with sparkling cider and add regular cider until it’s about an inch from the top – that way you don’t have to measure it exactly. Way quicker when you’re making tons of these. As long as it’s close, it’ll taste great!
Now is the fun part! Top that caramel apple drink with whipped cream, sprinkles, and drizzles of caramel. Drizzles of chocolate would be good too since you know caramel and chocolate are pretty much amazing together (or so says my Snickers poke cake).
Use the garnish to make this yummy drink look even more festive! This drink is best served immediately after you make it so the sparkling cider doesn’t look it’s sparkle and the whipped cream doesn’t go flat!
You should be able to make and serve all eight within just a minute if you pour, pour, dash, and garnish!
Expert Tips
Save time when you’re making these by lining up all your glasses and doing one thing at once to all the glasses. For example, pour the sparkling cider in each then pour the regular cider, etc.
Cute straws can make these pop even more – just make sure to add the straw right before you serve it to someone. Paper straws go soft quickly and one wants to drink out of a soggy straw.
Make the extra caramel sauce and caramel syrup available in case anyone wants to add an extra shot of caramel to their drink for even more flavor!
Garnish these with a dipped caramel apple slice (like I used for my caramel apple nachos) for an added bonus!
FAQs
These should be made immediately before serving. If you need a drink you can make ahead of time, this Christmas punch is a delicious option as well!
In my opinion apple juice tastes more watered down than the rich taste of apple cider. It’s not going to give you the same flavor with apple juice, and I recommend just skipping the drink or making something else if you can’t get apple cider.
More Delicious Drinks
- Strawberry lemonade
- Raspberry lime punch
- Healthy smoothie recipes
- Tropical mocktail
- Triple berry mocktail
Non-Alcoholic Caramel Apple Drink
Ingredients
- 1 bottle sparkling cider
- 5 1/4 cups apple cider
- 1 1/4 to 2 1/2 TBS caramel syrup
- whipped cream for garnish
- caramel syrup for garnish
- fall sprinkles for garnish
Instructions
- Pour 3/4 cup sparkling cider into eight 12 oz glasses. Top with 2/3 of the regular apple cider, leaving about an inch from the top.
- Add 1/2 - 1 tsp caramel syrup to each glass then mix in throughly.
- Top with whipped cream, caramel syrup, and sprinkles.
- Serve chilled immediately.
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