Spike the Kiddie Table (Sparkling Cider Rum Cocktail) Recipe

Sparkling apple cider — Photograph: © Kelly Puleio 2018, resized for publication

This festive drink, created by bartender A. Minetta Gould of Saint Ellie in Denver, gets a double dose of apple thanks to fresh cider (from the orchard, farmers market, or refrigerator aisle) and fizzy sparkling cider, like Martinelli's. If you want to get really fancy, garnish each glass with an apple chip as well as the star anise.

Reprinted with permission from The One-Bottle Cocktail: More Than 80 Recipes With Fresh Ingredients and a Single Spirit by Maggie Hoffman, copyright © 2018. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Choose Your Own Adventure With This Fizzy Holiday Cider Cocktail

Active: 2 mins

Total: 2 mins

Makes: 1 drink (see note)

Rate & Comment

1 1/2 ounces (45ml) aged rum (see note)
3/4 ounce (20ml) fresh apple cider
1/2 ounce (15ml) fresh juice from 1 lemon
1 ounce (30ml) chilled sparkling apple cider (such as Martinelli's)
Star anise pod and/or an apple chip, for garnish (optional)

Combine rum, apple cider, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker.
Fill cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until well chilled, about 12 seconds. Double-strain into a chilled Champagne flute. Top off with sparkling cider and garnish with star anise and apple chip, if desired.

Special equipment

Cocktail shaker and strainer, small fine-mesh strainer

Notes

To batch the cocktail, multiply the quantities of rum, fresh cider, and lemon by the number of servings you'd like. Combine in a resealable bottle or container up to 2 hours before serving, seal well, and refrigerate. Stir the mixture well, and keep the container cold by standing it up in a bucket of ice. When ready to serve, pour 5 1/2 ounces of the mix into a cocktail shaker. Proceed with step 2, dividing shaken mix between 2 flutes and topping each flute with an ounce of sparkling cider.

Aged rum contributes a toasty caramel note that's lifted with lemon, but if you're a hardcore whiskey fan, I recommend also trying this one with Scotch or peppery rye. (Some may prefer to add a drop—or 1/4 ounce—of 1:1 simple or honey syrup to the whiskey version.)