Easy Spiced Hot Cider with Fireball

Why spend extra time and ingredients to flavor spiced hot apple cider when you can do it the easy way with Fireball whiskey! It’s a hot toddy with a cinnamon kick! Serve this 2-ingredient fall cocktail for seasonal entertaining or holiday parties. It’s easy to create a large batch punch or a single serving.

round tray with 3 glass mugs filled with hot cider and cookie garnish on the rim of mugs.

Fireball is perfect for this drink because it adds so much flavor there’s no need to include any mulling spices when you heat up the cider.

Why You’ll Love It

  • Serve this drink recipe for a brunch gathering or for Thanksgiving entertaining while you’re waiting for the big meal to finish cooking.
  • This is Autumn in a glass! The color and flavors lend themselves perfectly to a signature drink at a special celebration.
  • It’s a holiday drink that could take you from Halloween parties all the way through Christmas and into the new year.
  • You can make a large batch and keep it warm in a slow cooker. Guests can ladle it into a glass or mug and add the alcohol as they like.
hot cider in glass mug with cookie garnish on the rim.

Ingredients

Apple Cider. You typically find this in gallon or half gallon jugs in the fresh produce section. Apple juice in not a suitable substitute since you’ll be heating it up.

Fireball Whiskey. This is a spicy cinnamon liqueur that’s gotten so popular in the last decade or so. It really does remind you of the fireball candies! If you want a more subtle spice flavor you can substitute with Spiced Rum.

After doing a side-by-side taste test, I really think the Fireball gave more festive flavor than the spiced rum.

How to Make It

  1. Heat the apple cider. If this is for a party, go ahead and pour a half gallon or full gallon into a large saucepan or dutch oven. Heat it on the stovetop at medium heat until it’s hot but not boiling. You can also use your slow cooker and heat it up and/or keep it warm there. You’ll need about an hour on high to get it nice and hot, then you can keep it hot on the low setting or warm setting, depending on how hot your crock pot runs.
  2. Add spicy liqueur. You don’t want to add the Fireball into the apple cider as the heating will cook off the alcohol. Instead, add a shot into your mug and top it with the hot cider. Stir and sip!

For a single serving just pour the apple cider into a microwave save mug and heat for 1 to 2 minutes until hot. Pour in the Fireball, stir and enjoy.

round tray with 3 glass mugs filled with hot cider and cookie garnish on the rim of mugs.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this as a signature drink for a cozy soup dinner party. It’s a nice drink to have ready to welcome your guests as soon as they arrive.

This is perfect to have when you host Thanksgiving. It’s so festive!

Garnish this drink with cinnamon sticks or a cute fall leaf cookie hanging on the rim. These gingersnap cookies are from Aldi.

PARTY TIP: When you’re entertaining, serve the hot cider straight from the stove or crock pot using a ladle, or use an insulated carafe.

More Fall Cocktails

If you love this spiced hot cider with Fireball I feel certain you’ll love these other drink recipes.

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round tray with 3 glass mugs filled with hot cider and cookie garnish on the rim of mugs.

Easy Spiced Apple Hot Cider

Yield: 1 drink
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Warm up with this hot cider cocktail that's easy to make and tastes great! This is the perfect casual cocktail for fall or winter entertaining.

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces Apple Cider
  • 2 ounces Fireball (or substitute with spiced rum for a milder flavor)

Cinnamon-Sugar Rim

  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
  • lemon wedge or juice in shallow dish

Instructions

    1. Make the cinnamon sugar mixture by combining the two in a shallow dish.
    2. Pour a small amount of lemon juice into a shallow container and dip the rim of the mug into it, or rub a cut lemon wedge around the rim. Shake off excess and dip the rim into the sugar mixture.
    3. Meanwhile, heat apple cider in a large saucepan on the stove, on medium heat, until hot but not boiling. Or, heat one serving at a time in the microwave for about 1 to 2 minutes.
    4. Pour the Fireball into the mug and top with 8 ounces of hot apple cider, and stir.
    5. Garnish with cinnamon stick if you like.

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One Comment

  1. Yum! I can’t wait to try this cocktail. I love the idea of rimming the glass with cinnamon sugar!

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