Name: Apple Cider Vodka Punch
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 14
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 64 ounces apple cider; 3 cups Ginger Ale; 1 ½ cups vodka; 3 red apples, sliced; 2 oranges, sliced; Cinnamon sticks, optional

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You’ll love this festive Apple Cider Vodka Punch recipe, perfect for fall holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving. It’s a crowd-pleasing punch that combines apple cider, ginger ale, and vodka. It’s deliciously spiced with cinnamon sticks and slices of apples and oranges for a classic autumn flavor.

This easy punch has delicious seasonal flavors of apples, oranges, and cinnamon. It is spiked with vodka for a simple batch cocktail. It’s perfect for chilly weather. It’s a simple recipe. It should be made ahead so it can chill. This allows all the fruity flavors to mingle into a drink worthy of a fall harvest celebration.

apple cider punch with bowl and cocktail in front

Why You’ll Love This Punch Recipe

It’s super easy to make
Uses minimal ingredients
It is deliciously flavored with seasonal ingredients
It can be made into a mocktail
Looks stunning in your punch bowl with the fresh fruit

Ingredients Needed

Apple Cider – use apple cider, not apple juice.
Ginger Ale – use your favorite brand.
Vodka – use your favorite brand. I used unflavored vodka for this punch.
Red apples– are sliced and used for flavor. A red peel variety gives this punch the perfect festive touch!
Oranges – sliced and used for flavor.
Cinnamon Sticks – for flavor and as a garnish.

How To Make Apple Cider Vodka Punch

What Type Of Vodka Should I Use?

While this recipe calls for unflavored vodka, you can certainly use a flavored vodka like:

Apple Pie Vodka
Caramel Vodka
Vanilla Vodka

Can I Make This Punch Ahead Of Time?

Yes, and you should! If you can’t chill all the ingredients beforehand, you should make the punch beforehand. This means chilling the apple cider, ginger ale, and vodka. I usually chill them overnight, so they’re good and cold. Add all the liquid ingredients except the chilled ginger ale (you don’t want it to lose its fizz!) and chill it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it. Add the chilled ginger ale once it’s in the punch bowl.

Do I Need To Add Ice To The Punch?

No. The chilled ingredients should be cold enough that you don’t need ice. However, you can always set the punch bowl in a larger bowl of ice to keep it chilled. You could also freeze apple cider ahead in ice cube trays. Use that for ice in the actual punch instead of ice made with water. That way, you won’t water down the punch.

Do I Need To Peel The Apples And Oranges?

No. Part of the charm of this harvest-inspired punch is leaving the red apple peel on! Cut the top and bottom off, core the apple and slice. The same goes for the oranges—wash them and slice them with the peel left on.

Which Variety Of Apple Should I Use?

Varieties with red peels that work well in this punch recipe are Cortland, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Fuji, and Gala. If you use a green peel variety, Granny Smith is great. You can also be bold and use a red and a green peel for a more festive display!

What’s The Difference Between Apple Cider And Apple Juice?

This recipe calls for apple cider, which I highly recommend using instead of apple juice. Apple cider is made from fresh apples. It is raw and unfiltered. It has a deeper apple flavor, which is perfect for cocktails. This is ideal when adding other ingredients, such as this one. Also, no additional sugar has been added to it. Apple juice is processed, filtered, has water added to it, and usually has added sugar. Opt for the apple cider if possible – you won’t be disappointed!

Can I Make This A Kid-Friendly Mocktail?

Absolutely. It’s easy – leave out the vodka!

Can I Make It As A Single-Serve Cocktail?

Sure! Combine 3 ounces of chilled apple cider in your glass. Add 1-2 ounces of chilled vodka and 1-2 ounces of chilled ginger ale. Stir the ingredients together. Garnish with a slice of orange and apple and a cinnamon stick.

Storage

You can keep punch leftovers chilled in the fridge for 1-2 days if you have punch leftovers. The ginger ale fizz will deflate, but you’ll still have the flavor!

More Cocktail Recipes

Pink Moscato Berry Punch
Halloween Purple Pumpkin Eater Punch
Cinnamon Apple Cranberry Mimosa
Blackberry Lime Mojito
Peach Bellini
Cranberry Mimosa

Serves:14

Apple Cider Vodka Punch

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

This festive Apple Cider Vodka Punch recipe is perfect for fall holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving. It's a crowd-pleasing punch that combines apple cider, ginger ale, and vodka. It's deliciously spiced with cinnamon sticks and slices of apples and oranges for a classic autumn flavor.

Ingredients

64 ounces apple cider
3 cups Ginger Ale
1 ½ cups vodka
3 red apples, sliced
2 oranges, sliced
Cinnamon sticks, optional

Instructions

Gather all ingredients.
Combine apple cider, ginger ale, and vodka in a large punch bowl.
Add apples and oranges to the bowl, reserving some for garnishing drinks.
If desired, add a few cinnamon sticks to the punch bowl.
Chill all the ingredients beforehand and the punch until ready to serve, or make ice cubes from apple cider so the punch doesn’t get watered down.