Apple Cider Dark and Stormy Cocktail
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Autumn is here, so why not celebrate with a delicious fall cocktail? Apple Cider Dark and Stormy is a seasonal twist on a classic cocktail and is made with cider* instead of the usual ginger beer. So when it’s dark and stormy outside, warm up your insides with this alcoholic beverage which contains a delicious shot of spicy rum.
For more seasonal food, check out The Ultimate List of Autumn Recipes for the Fall Season! Right-click and open a new tab to read next.
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Apple Cider Dark & Stormy
Just because summer and sipping on tropical cocktails are but a distant memory, doesn’t mean you can’t mix up an adult beverage to enjoy in the autumn! Instead of tropical ingredients like pineapple and coconut, you can use fall ones like apples and cinnamon instead.
Ingredients used in this cocktail
To make this cocktail you will need:
- Apple Cider*
- Hard Apple Cider*
- Spiced Rum – you can, of course, use regular rum, but I’m thinking of lovely warm spices that go so well with apples.
- Ice
- Apple Slices
- Cinnamon Sticks
*If you are a Brit reading this recipe you might be thinking “Huh, what’s the diff between apple cider and hard apple cider? Cider is just cider yeah?”.
And to you and me (a fellow Brit) cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented apples. But to Americans, the same drink is called hard apple cider. That means that apple cider is non-alcoholic. The closest for us in the UK would be cloudy apple juice.
I wrote all about it in my Hard Apple Cider Margarita recipe so you are welcome to open the link up in a new tab for a quick read!
What is a Dark & Stormy?
I said that this cocktail recipe is a twist on a Dark & Stormy, but what is that cocktail?
It’s a simple highball cocktail made with dark rum and ginger beer served over ice and garnished with a slice of lime. (Dark & Stormy is very similar to a Moscow Mule except that cocktail uses vodka instead of rum.) Dark & Stormy has its origins in Bermuda.
Make It A Meal!
The beverage is covered, but what about other dishes to make this recipe into a full meal? Here are my suggestions!
- Appetizer: Crock-Pot Slow Cooker Spicy Pumpkin and Butter Bean Soup
- Main Dish: Sheet Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs
- Side Dish: Spiced Roasted Autumn Vegetables
- Dessert: Caramel Apple Pie Cupcakes with Cinnamon Sugar Pie Crust Topping
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy! Please feel free to check them out too.
More Fall Beverages
I don’t have a ton of fall-flavored cocktails on my blog yet, so here are some autumn beverages to try out:
This cocktail recipe is intended for adults of the legal drinking age in your country of residence.
Please drink responsibly. Do not drink and drive.
Apple Cider Dark and Stormy Cocktail
Ingredients
- 2 parts Spiced Rum
- 3 parts Apple Cider
- 3 parts Hard Apple Cider Angry Orchard, Strongbow etc
- Ice Cubes
- Apple Slices for garnish, optional
- Cinnamon Sticks for garnish, optional
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS
Instructions
- Fill your glass with ice.
- Pour the apple cider and hard apple cider into the glass.
- Pour the spiced rum into the glass.
- Garnish with the apple slices and cinnamon stick.
Notes
- 2 oz Spiced Rum
- 3 oz Apple Cider
- 3 oz Hard Apple Cider
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Apple Cider Dark & Stormy Variations
Virgin Apple Dark & Stormy (Mocktail)
So that non-drinkers can enjoy this autumn cocktail, I’ve created a twist on a twist!
Instead of hard apple cider, use regular apple juice mixed with apple cider (UK – cloudy apple juice). And then, instead of rum, use a rum flavored syrup – which is non-alcoholic but gives that rum taste.
To turn this cocktail into a mocktail pour equal parts apple cider and apple juice over ice, and add rum syrup to your personal taste. Garnish with apple slices and and a cinnamon stick to stir.
I love the Monin brand of syrups as there are lots of flavors and they are a very versatile ingredient that can be used in cocktails, mocktails, coffee, cocoa, shakes, smoothies, and more.
I found that Monin has a Caribbean syrup which is described as “Nose of Caribbean rum aged in oak barrel; sweet rum taste with notes of fruits and vanilla … will convert rum-based alcoholic cocktails to their non-alcoholic versions without losing the rum aroma“.
I also found a Spiced Brown Sugar syrup which says it will go well in cider, so I think this would also work. As would the Caramel Apple Butter syrup.
Shop Monin Syrups on Amazon
Warm, Dark & Stormy
Why not warm this beverage up for cold evenings? Add the ingredients in the original recipe to a saucepan and slowly warm through on medium-low heat. Serve in glasses with handles and garnish with apple slices and a cinnamon stick.
Pear Cider Dark & Stormy
I’m unsure if pear cider is available outside of the UK, but switch the [hard apple] cider for pear cider (or Perry) and make the cocktail as in the original recipe. You could try warming it up too. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and use pears slices instead or (as well as) apple slices.
Stormy Party Punch
If you want to make Apple Dark & Stormy for a crowd, you can make a large batch of the cocktail no problem – just scale all the ingredients up!
As long as you use the same measuring container (glass, cup, jug etc) for the “1 part”, the ratios will be correct and you can make as much as you need to. Serve in drinks dispensers, pitchers, or go really retro and serve it from a punch bowl!
Make sure you add plenty of ice to your serving receptacle of choice and throw in several cinnamon sticks and apple slices. If serving in a punch bowl, why not chop up the apple into small pieces so that they can be eaten as part of the cocktail too.