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Apple Cider Bourbon Cocktail

3.75 from 4 votes

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Apple cider meets a shot of bourbon and they shake things up with apple butter, fresh orange & lime juice and spices.

Apple cider meets a shot of bourbon and they shake things up with apple butter, fresh orange & lime juice and spices.

Sometimes things are just meant to be. Rockie and Bullwinkle. Tom and Jerry. Bread and butter. Strawberries and whipped cream. And don’t get me started on salt and chocolate.

My best friend is like that. Just meant to be. We met on the first day of kindergarten….both at a ripe old age of almost 6 since our birthdays were past the cutoff date. I still remember her grandma introducing us on the playground. Gosh I miss that lady.

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We bonded instantaously. We lived just down a dirt road from each other. We spent hundreds of hours swimming, jumping on trampolines, climbing trees, picking out tiny quartz rocks from the gravel and pretending they were diamonds. We baked and made friendship bracelets, and had a swimming party in my living room with the fireplace on because it was so cold outside. And no matter what I tried she would always go laugh in the corner of our kitchen when we were trying to be quiet, which would only echo worse and cause her to howl even harder.

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As the years went on I became more and more of a socially awkward child who went through puberty far too early resulting in me towering over my peers. I was a book worm through and through, most likely to be found holed up in the library or avoiding recess by volunteering to serve lunch in the cafeteria. She was the star athelete, the socially accepted and well loved by all our peers.

Middle school we drifted….I embraced the ultimate in social awkwardness in 6th grade before my mother spared me and pulled me out of school for two years. We didn’t talk much then.

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Somehow in those two years I was gone, everyone else caught up with and then surpassed me as they hit their respective growth spurts. A transfer to a new high school district I hoped would help bring a new start I needed. I was no longer a freak, but I was still alone. It was with shock and awe on that first day of high school district that I walked in to find her sitting, alone, in the counseling office. That moment is frozen in my mind. Friends forever. It was like no time had passed at all.

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We’ve always led our own seperate lives, often in completely seperate classes, each of us enthralled with some boy or another. And yet somehow through all these years we’ve stuck together. Holding a base down for each other, unspoken, showing up at just the right time with a bouquet of flowers, or a jamba juice…a steaming pot of chai, or a pair of striped gloves.

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We’ve graduated together, carried babies with the same due date, cried together at grandma’s funeral, laughed together as we tried on dozens of wedding dresses before we even knew which guy we would marry.

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And somehow we’ve unintentionally ended up at this point in our lives both photographers….her in portraits….me in food. Perfectly paired, yet not competing. So when it was time for me to bring on a project assistant for freelance work so I didn’t lose my mind…..it wasn’t even a question of who I wanted by my side.

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She’s my extra hands. My dishwasher. Horizontal picture reminderer. White card holder. Idea lender. The one who tells me when it’s good enough and to leave it alone already. She’s my friend. She’s my sister. Forever.

And after a long hard days worth of work…we make pretty damn fine cocktails together if I do say so myself.

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Apple Cider Bourbon Cocktails

Apple cider meets a shot of bourbon and they shake things up with apple butter, fresh orange & lime juice and spices.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 2 cocktails
Print Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups apple cider
  • 1-2 shots bourbon go ahead, you deserve it
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons apple butter
  • juice of 1 orange
  • juice of 1 lime
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • brown sugar

Instructions

  • 1. Cut a lime in half and then almost in half again, leaving the rind intact. Place lime on the rim of the glass and run it completely around edge. Place brown sugar on a plate and dip the glass into sugar, pressing the sugar onto the rim if needed. Tap to remove excess.
    2. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Pour and serve with an orange slice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 315kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 84mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 45g
Author: Dani Meyer
Course : Drinks
bourbon, apple cider bourbon recipe, apple butter, orange juice, drinks, cocktails, cocktail, apple, entertainment, spices, cider
Best friends since first day of kindergarten. Sister I never had. Amazing mom. Breath taking photographer. And my new kick butt food photo assistant. Way to rock it today @candace.simpson.photography #loveher #lovemyjob

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About Dani Meyer

Hi, I’m Dani! I’m most importantly mama to 3 wild little dudes. I spend my days cooking, photographing and exploring the Pacific Northwest. I'm a full time food blogger and online business coach.

I’m the author of Stress Free Camping, a 120+ page guide on making epic food in the woods. I’m also the founder of Food Blogger Entrepreneurs, the leading online academy and private community for food bloggers. → More About Dani

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16 thoughts on “Apple Cider Bourbon Cocktail”

  1. 3 stars
    That’s one HUGE cocktail! I used a big goblet type wine glass and there was enough for two, despite me not using the full amount of cider and skipping the lime. Also had a heck of a time getting the apple butter to dissolve, even when I eventually gave up on the shaker and used the blender! Yummy, but I think I’ll tweak it next time!

    Reply
    • Hi Jen,

      I’m so sorry your comment just came through, we seem to be having a glitch on the comment system. You are correct this is a double cocktail for 2 people, I have updated the recipe to reflect this. I definitely think the lime helps balance this and you need a good solid shake in the shaker for sure. Thanks!

      Dani

      Reply
  2. Best friends are just the best right?? This sounds so good! Love the lime in there. I need to make a mocktail version!

    Reply
  3. Linked by the heart for life…sisters forever <3
    Beautifully written, amazing photos, just the beginning of new adventures 😉
    As always, I am excited to see what the next chapter holds!

    Reply

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