Vanilla Cider Cocktail

There are quite a few things worth being outside at night for during the fall and winter months. Halloween is a nighttime holiday. The Leonid meteor shower is in November. Festivals of lights, and full moons over snowy forests make for beautiful bundled walks. Chilly nights should always include a warm drink.

Cider is the epitome of fall, and hard cider is making a big comeback right now. We’re planning an apple picking camping trip in a few weeks, and wanted to be ready with a drink that would go well with our dutch oven pie.

While trying to decide which overwhelmingly sweet flavored alcohol I was going to buy a whole bottle of, I realized they make airplane bottles of most of the flavors! I narrowed my experimentation down to five, and landed on vanilla vodka as the best choice for this cocktail. I expected to like the honey flavored whisky or orange vodka better, but vanilla warmed the whole thing up just one more level. It also made sense when I dolloped a scoop of freshly made mason-jar whipped cream on top.

Vanilla Cider Cocktail

Yield

4 drinks

Prep Time / Cook Time

5 minutes / 5 minutes

Activity Guide

Bike Touring, Car Camping, Picnic

Ingredients

• 2 cups apple cider
• 4 ounces vanilla vodka (about 2 airplane bottles)
• 1 can or bottle hard apple cider
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled

Tools

• Small pot
• Spoon
• Stove
• Mason jar with lid

Method

1. Heat the non-alcoholic cider in a pot over medium heat. Remove just before boiling.
2. Meanwhile, pour cold whipping cream into a mason jar, and screw on the lid. Shake vigorously (a great kid job) until the cream has thickened to desired consistency (we tend to like it a little softer than typical whipped cream)
3. Pour about 1 ounce of vodka into each mug.
4. Pour about 1/4 of the can or bottle of hard cider into the mugs.
5. Pour about 1/4 of the hot apple cider into the mugs. Stir, top each with a dollop of whipped cream, and enjoy your evening.