One of my favorite things is to give each season dimension. Decorating for the season is visual. Lighting a candle is olfactory. Giving a season a sense of taste helps you perceive the season internally, making it seem more real. I think that’s why I always rush out to get a pumpkin spice latte as soon as they arrive in Starbucks and why our family loves this Apple Cider Mocktail.
The back half of the year is my favorite. Don’t get me wrong, the bright, light, and sweet flavors of spring and summer are great, but when autumn hits I’m always ready for the warm, inviting, cozy flavors.
At home I love sharing the season with my family. This year fall seems to be all about apples, so I created these family friendly apple cider mocktail recipes that we all love to get us in the spirit of the season.
Pasteurizing the Cider
I just wanted to put out there a little note about apple cider, the key ingredient to this mocktail. Apple cider is essentially ground up apples that are mashed and squeezed to create the delicious drink that is cider. It is unfiltered and the sediment from the fresh apples remains in the drink, a big difference between cider and apple juice.
Sometimes it comes pasteurized, sometimes not. The commercial kind found at the grocery store is usually pasteurized. However, the local kind (my personal preference) is usually unpasteurized. This is important to consider because pasteurization (heat-treatment) helps to eliminate any pathogenic microorganisms that might make someone with a weaker immune system (think pregnant or toddler) sick. For a healthy adult with a strong immune system, this is usually not a worry. But since I am planning to serve this drink to our toddler, and since the process is so easy, I always pasteurize our local apple cider at home.
It’s a fairly simple process. You’ll need a pot big enough to hold your apple cider, a spoon, a candy thermometer, a funnel, and something to pour the cider into when you’re done. Reminder: you can’t use the original container, or you’ll contaminate the cider you just pasteurized.
First, pour the apple cider into the pot and place on the stove top. Turn the heat on high. Stir the cider occasionally while you heat it up to 185 degrees, just below boiling. Use the thermometer to monitor the temperature. Allow the cider to cook for 1 minute at 185 degrees. Turn off the heat and move the pot off the hot burner. Allow the cider to cool and then use the funnel to pour the cider into the new container.
The heat-treated (pasteurized) cider is what you will use to build our apple cider mocktail, and now it’s 100% family friendly.
Recipe Options
The base of the recipe was designed for a toddler and was approved by our resident 23-month-old. I’ll admit she rejected a few test recipes, so the final version ended up really being more of a slightly spiced apple juice rather than cider. Originally, I had flipped the quantities to be 6 cups cider and 3 cups juice. That would have been my preference but being a “toddler friendly recipe” her perspective was more important than mine for that recipe.
Toddler Approved Apple Cider Mocktail – Serves 6-8
Mix below ingredients. Serve warm or cold.
- 3 Cups Local Apple Cider (pasteurized – see above for the process to do this at home)
- 6 Cups Apple Juice
- 6 Cups Water
- 4 tbsp Torani Salted Caramel Syrup, 25.4 oz.“>ted Caramel Syrup
- 1 tsp Older Kid Apple Cider Mocktail – Serves 6-8
Mix below ingredients. Serve warm or cold.
- 6 Cups Local Apple Cider (pasteurized – see above for the process to do this at home)
- 6 Cups Sparkling Apple Cider
- 3 Cup Water
- 4 tbsp McCormick Pumpkin Pie Spice, 2 oz“>Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Garnish with apples cut into cubes and an orange slice
It’s not always about the kids, so I wanted to give you a bonus recipe that converts this drink from a mocktail to a cocktail. This version spikes up this seasonal drink with a kick that should be reserved for those over the age of 21. I highly recommend serving this cocktail warm to get the full fall effect. You can heat it up in a crockpot or on the stove top. The flavors in the Salted Caramel Moscato are just so much more vibrant and delicious served warm.
Adult Apple Cider Cocktail – Serves 6-8
Mix below ingredients. Serve warm or cold.
- 6 cups Salted Caramel Moscato (2 bottles)
- 6 Cups Local Apple Cider (pasteurized – see above for the process to do this at home)
- 1 ½ Cups Scotch (Optional – my husband recommends Johnny Walker Red)
- 1 ½ Cups Ginger Ale
- 4 tbsp McCormick Pumpkin Pie Spice, 2 oz“>Pumpkin Pie Spice (to taste)
- Garnish with apples cut into cubes and an orange slice
There’s something for everyone in these recipes. I hope your family loves these mocktails as much as mine, and they put you in the mood for fall.
