Red Hot Apple Cider is the easiest recipe you'll make this year. Guaranteed. Just combine apple juice and Red Hots cinnamon candy or Brachs Cinnamon Imperials in a slow cooker or large pot to warm. The candies will melt and turn your juice a lovely red hue.
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You can serve this drink warm or cold. Make it on the stove top or in a slow cooker.
Green apple juice is another good drink option for a festive occasion or everyday.
If you're in a mocktail mood, also try making Cherry Pink Mocktail.
Keep scrolling for more holiday drink recipes from other bloggers
So, hi, hello, hola, tis the season for making merry!
If you've ever seen one of those community cookbooks or church fundraiser cookbooks, you've probably seen this recipe but maybe you've never tried it.
This cinnamon flavor drink is a good treat for children over the holidays.
If you’re concerned about sugar content, you can always use a reduced-sugar apple juice like Mott’s for Tots. That’s what we gave our son when he was little.
Do they still make Mott’s for Tots?
If you're looking for a snack to pair with the cinnamon apple drink, try Christmas Muddy Buddies or White Chocolate Popcorn, Brach's Copycat Fruit Chews or Grinch Oreo Balls.
For more of a chocolate snack, try making slow cooker chocolate candy or Chocolate Pecans or Chocolate Dates or Snicker Dates.
How to Make Red Hot Apple Cider
There are two ways you can make this easy cinnamon apple mocktail recipe--in a large pot on the stovetop or in a slow cooker.
Both methods are equally hands off.
Pour the apple juice and Red Hots candy in a large pot or the slow cooker.
Then you’ll stir occasionally until the candies have melted.
Remove from heat and serve.
If you are serving children, don’t worry about this cinnamon crockpot drink being too spicy. It really has a mild cinnamon flavor.
Drink Variations
Make this red hot apple cider a cocktail by adding an ounce and a half of a warm spirit like dark rum or spiced rum for a bit of a kick.
Or, add an ounce of Fireball liquor for an even spicier kick.
Substitute apple cider if you don't have any apple juice.
If you plan to serve it cold, use good ice cubes. I like to use oversize ice cubes, which take longer to melt so drinks don't get diluted so quickly.
Seasonal ice cubes are fun too.
I found these ornament ice cube trays that are too stinking cute to be believed on Amazon.
This post about Ice cube trays to try might be helpful for you.
Garnish Ideas
Using a sharp knife, make thin slices of apple as a garnish.
Use any apple you like. I sliced a new to me apple called Crimson Crisp that I found at a local orchard. They were out of my favorite, Honey Crisp, so I rolled the dice on the Crimson Crisp because the owner said it was one of his favorites.
The Crimson did not disappoint. I think it might be even crunchier than the Honey Crisp.
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Red Hot Apple Cider
Apple juice and tiny cinnamon candies, slowly heated over stovetop or in slow cooker, makes a great apple cinnamon drink and festive mocktail.
Ingredients
- ½ gallon (64-ounces apple juice)
- ½ cup Red Hots candies (or Brach’s Cinnamon Imperials)
Instructions
Stovetop Directions
Pour apple juice in a six-quart stock pot or dutch oven.
Add ½ cup Red Hots (tiny red candies).
Warm apple juice and Red Hots over medium heat stirring occasionally until the candies have melted and the juice has turned red.
Depending on the strength of your burners, this will take 20 to 30 minutes. Don’t let the mixture boil as the liquid will start to reduce and you’ll have syrup instead of an apple cinnamon mocktail.
Slow Cooker Directions
Line a six-quart slow cooker with a liner for easy cleanup.
Pour apple juice and Red Hots in slow cooker.
Heat on high, stirring occasionally for about two hours.
The time will depend on your slow cooker. I have an older Crock-Pot so my Christmas punch took about two hours.
Leave the apple juice mocktail in the slow cooker on warm if you’re planning to serve at a gathering.
Keep a ladle handy for serving.
Garnish with thinly sliced apples.
Notes
Serve using a ladle. May be served either warm or cold over ice.
Garnish glasses or mugs with thinly sliced apples.
Store leftover drink in the refrigerator.
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 125Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 100mgCarbohydrates 1gFiber 0gSugar 1gProtein 0g
Keep scrolling for more festive cocktails and mocktails from some of my fellow bloggers:
Another drink fun for everyone, including children is Sprite Sherbet Punch.
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Holiday Cocktails and Cocktails
Perfect cocktails and mixed drinks for your holiday gathering, whether for two or two hundred.
This very simple Holiday Orange Juice Mocktail is a colorful drink perfect for a holiday brunch! A combination of fresh squeezed orange juice, sparkling cider and cranberries garnished with sprigs of rosemary is a lovely treat for kids and adults.
Our perfectly blended white Christmas margarita combines cream of coconut and silver tequila to create a creamy seasonal cocktail!
This Santa Cocktail is the perfect holiday drink for the season. Cranberry juice, grenadine, vodka, sprite, and corn syrup come together to create a deliciously sweet cocktail that all the adults will love after a long day of eating and holiday fun.
This easy Christmas punch takes just minutes to make and will be a hit at any Christmas party! It’s a non-alcoholic Christmas punch that’s great for kids or adults!
Cranberry Mint Cocktail is a sparkling drink that is minty and sweet mocktail. Sweet, refreshing, and such a refreshing drink to serve up.
A smooth, sippable Pomegranate Cosmopolitan Cocktail is a twist on the now classic cocktail and a delicious signature cocktail for the holidays. Their vibrant red color paired with a green lime twist will dazzle your guests, making you the host or hostess with the mostess! Made famous by Sex in the City in the late 1990s, the cosmo has stood the test of time.
A perfect balance of sweet and tart, the cranberry martini is a cocktail that can be served year round. A blend of vodka, orange liqueur and cranberry juice, this drink is smooth and refreshing. Garnish with some sugared cranberries and an orange slice to make it extra special.
The holidays are here again, and the perfect drink to share with all your friends over Christmas or New Year’s is cranberry mimosas. They’re not only festive but also refreshing, making them the perfect holiday drink!
Looking for an easy holiday drink recipe for your next gathering? This berry pomegranate vodka spritzer recipe is not only easy but festive and delicious!
This small-batch Grinch Punch recipe made with Hawaiian Punch, Sprite, and lime sherbet is a perfect drink for the kids on Christmas.
These Rudolph Red Nose Jell-O Shots are made with cherry Jell-O, Whiskey, Big Red Cream Soda, and Amaretto. Topped with a glowing red cherry.
Serve Cranberry Raspberry Sangria at a party and it will be gone within minutes! I call mine Christmas Sangria and thought you might enjoy serving it for your friends as well.
What are you making this holiday season?
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