Apple Cider Mimosa

Your fall parties and brunches will be all the better with festive apple cider mimosas on the table. They’re fabulously effervescent, the color of changing leaves, and full of fresh apple flavor, making them perfect for fall!

You know the classic mimosa. Perhaps you are also familiar with by sherbet mimosa float and sparkling lavender orange mimosa recipes. But when the leaves turn and there’s a chill in the air, there is one mimosa to rule them all: the apple cider mimosa.

An apple cider mimosa combines the crisp, sweet taste of fresh apple cider (ALWAYS fresh apple cider, friends) with the fizzy effervescence of champagne. I add Cointreau for some color, flavor, and let’s be honest: some extra booziness.

Apple cider mimosas are perfect for any fall celebration, whether it’s Thanksgiving dinner or a brunch with friends. It’s that little special something that takes a get-together to the next level and makes you look like the hostess with the mostest.

Ingredients for Apple Cider Mimosas

Here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll need for this recipe. For the full measurements, scroll down to the recipe card.

• Apple Cider – While you can buy “apple cider” in shelf-stable bottles alongside apple juice, we want the refrigerated kind—the kind that’s opaque, not clear.
• Champagne – Or your preferred sparkling wine. No need to grab a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, but don’t buy the cheapest bottle on the shelf either.
• Cointreau – You could use triple sec, but I think the flavor of Cointreau is far less cloying.
• Apple Slices and Thyme or Rosemary Sprigs – For garnishing your apple cider mimosas.

How to Make an Apple Cider Mimosa

Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page for full printable instructions.

1. Add the apple cider. Pour the apple cider into the flutes.
2. Add the Cointreau. Stir to combine.
3. Add the champagne. Slowly top off the glass with champagne.
4. Garnish and serve. Add slices of apple and a sprig of thyme or rosemary to each apple cider mimosa. 

Variations

Switch things up with one of these variations.

• Add ginger beer. Incorporate a splash of strong ginger beer in place of some of the champagne or Cointreau for a warm, spicy undertone.
• Garnish with orange. Lean into the flavor of the Cointreau by adding an orange wedge or a twist of orange peel.
• Finish with spices. Swap the fresh herbs for a cinnamon stick or star anise, which always looks pretty in a cocktail.
• Rim the glasses. Rim the edge of each glass with cinnamon sugar for an added touch of sweetness and spice. Dip the rim in a shallow plate of water to wet it just a bit, then roll the edge in a plate of cinnamon sugar. Do this before mixing the apple cider mimosas.

How to Make Apple Cider Mimosas for a Crowd

Creating a batch of apple cider mimosas for a party is easy! Scale up the ingredients based on how many people you’ll be serving, then do the following:

1. Prepare a pitcher. Pour enough chilled apple cider into a large pitcher to serve your anticipated number of guests, then stir in the Cointreau.
2. Pour into flutes. You’ll add the Cointreau and apple cider mixture to flutes, either in a big batch all at once or as you serve drinks.
3. Add Champagne. Top off the flutes with champagne. 

Preparing apple cider mimosas for a crowd this way, instead of mixing the champagne in the pitcher, helps them stay fizzy, and it’s less work than measuring ingredients for each individual flute.

What to Serve With Apple Cider Mimosas

If you’re making these mimosas for a fall brunch or party, here are some excellent pairing options.

• Baked Brie with Fig Jam (Brie En Croute)
• Easy Apple Strudel
• Easy Goat Cheese Balls
• Overnight French Toast Casserole
• Puff Pastry Cheese Straws
• Best Cranberry Brie Bites
• Pumpkin Dip

More Cocktail Recipes

• Honey Deuce Cocktail
• Blackberry Margarita
• Lemonade Gin Mojito Cocktail Recipe
• Cranberry Moscow Mule
• Tom Collins (Gin Sour Cocktail)
• Whipped Coffee Mudslide Cocktail

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