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Pomegranate Apple Cider 4 Ways (Hot, Mocktail, Spritz and Bourbon)
Hot | Mocktail | Spritz | The Porch Light
When I smell the aroma of apples and spices, it brings back memories of my mom making apple cider. It was the best after-school treat, and it signaled that the cozy fall season was here. She made a batch for breakfast, and we would reheat it when we returned home from school. The house smelled so good, we didn’t need to even light a candle.
My love for apple cider has become all things made from apple cider. Pomegranate apple cider has become a staple in my home. It’s not too sweet, it’s a little tangy, and it’s deeply mulled with spices and warms my home every time. That same pot turns into four completely different drinks, which can be enjoyed both hot and cold.
Houston being Houston, the holidays arrive while it is still warm outside, so most of what I pour is cold. A mocktail with sparkling water. A spritz with Prosecco. Bourbon over one big clear cube. And when the temperature finally drops, I serve it hot in a glass double latte mug rimmed with sugar and cinnamon.
I make the base in batches and keep it in the refrigerator. I pour it when guests arrive, and for myself in the morning with a good breakfast, or I sip it in the car on the way to school drop-off.
Set it out beside warm buttermilk biscuits, or pour it into the glasses already waiting on your Thanksgiving tablescape. Four recipe cards below, one for each drink.
Watch me make all four, then scroll down for the cards.
Save These Recipes
How to Make the Pomegranate Apple Cider Base
Everything on this page starts in the same pot. There are two ways to get there, and neither one is hard.
The quick way, two concentrates
Yes, you can mull your own juice. I have done this and enjoy doing it, but sometimes it’s just more efficient to buy mulled apple cider and pomegranate juice.
Many years ago, I discovered Williams Sonoma’s Five Apple Cider Concentrate. It’s wildly popular, and it is already mulled, so there is nothing more you need to do to it. Their cranberry pomegranate cider is the other half. At the time of writing this blog, it’s unclear that their cranberry pomegranate cider will be available this season. If not, you can still make this pomegranate apple cider. Continue reading for the details.
If you purchase both ciders from Williams Sonoma, dilute each at about 1 part concentrate to 3 parts water. That ratio goes in the pot with orange slices, cinnamon sticks, and star anise, and you warm it through. That is your base.
From Scratch: If you can't find the cider concentrates
At the time I am writing this, Williams Sonoma sells their Five Apple Cider Concentrate, but it’s unclear whether or not their cranberry pomegranate cider concentrate is available this season. If not available, do not give up on this drink. You can still make pomegranate apple cider entirely from scratch.
You can purchase a concentrated cranberry pomegranate juice, or each separately, from a specialty store. Then purchase a tea ball and fill it with mulling spices. I use mulling spices from Williams Sonoma, but most grocery stores will stock mulling spices in the fall.
For a single cup, drop the filled tea ball in and let it steep about ten minutes. That is long enough to pull the full richness out of the spices without any bitterness.
For a large batch, I let the spices steep overnight. Let the pot cool first, then refrigerate it with the tea ball still in it, and pull it out in the morning. By then the cider develops a rich taste.
A tea ball is worth owning for this reason alone. No straining, no fishing cloves out of the bottom of a mug, and you can lift the spices out the moment the flavor is where you want it.
Sweeten it, and sweeten it well
Sugar works. Agave works. Any sweetener you like works. What I prefer is simple syrup, one part sugar to one part water, warmed until it dissolves.
Here is the tip that changes the whole thing: steep the syrup with rosemary sprigs while it is still warm. Oh boy. It elevates the entire experience.
ROSEMARY SIMPLE SYRUP
- 1 cup sugar,
- 1 cup water,
- 3 rosemary sprigs.
Warm until the sugar dissolves, take it off the heat, steep 20 minutes, strain. Keeps 2 weeks refrigerated.
Mulled Pomegranate Apple Cider (Hot)
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings, about 8 cups | scaler on 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free
Description
Mulled pomegranate apple cider made from one pot, served hot in a cinnamon sugar rimmed mug. It is the base for every other drink on this page.
Ingredients
Single Mug
- 2 tablespoons apple cider concentrate* (see from scratch)
- 6 tablespoons water (for the apple)
- 2 tablespoons cranberry pomegranate concentrate* (see from scratch)
- 6 tablespoons water (for the cranberry)
- 1 orange wheel
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 to 2 teaspoons rosemary simple syrup
Batch (serves 8)
- 1 cup apple cider concentrate* (see from scratch)
- 3 cups water (for the apple)
- 1 cup cranberry pomegranate concentrate* (see from scratch)
- 3 cups water (for the cranberry)
- 1 orange, sliced into wheels
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 3 star anise
- 6 whole cloves
- 1/4 cup simple syrup, to taste
To rim the mug
- 2 tablespoons sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
If you cannot find cranberry pomegranate concentrate this season, make it from scratch with a tea ball and mulling spices (see the From Scratch section of this post).
Instructions
- Dilute the concentrates. Stir each concentrate with water at 1 part concentrate to 3 parts water, then pour both into a heavy pot.
- Add the spices. Orange wheels, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and cloves go straight in.
- Mull it. Warm over low heat for 20 minutes. Never let it boil. You want steam, not bubbles.
- Sweeten last. Stir in rosemary simple syrup a little at a time and taste as you go.
- Rim the mug. Run an orange wedge around the rim, dip it in the cinnamon sugar, and set it aside.
- Serve. Ladle the hot cider into the mug, add a cinnamon stick and an orange wheel, and hand it over.
Notes
From scratch swap for the batch: 4 cups apple cider mulled with 6 tablespoons mulling spices in a large tea ball, plus 1 cup concentrated pomegranate juice and 1 cup concentrated cranberry juice.
Double wall latte mugs hold the heat and keep the outside cool enough to carry.
Slow cooker: everything in, low for 2 hours, then hold on warm for up to 4 hours.
Strain the whole spices before serving so nobody gets a clove.
This same pot, chilled overnight, is the base for cards 2, 3, and 4. The spices keep deepening while it sits.
Flavor Tip: steep the simple with a rosemary sprig to enhance the flavors
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 glass
- Calories: 160 calories
- Sugar: 37 g
- Sodium: 20 mg
- Fat: 0 g fat
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
How Far One Pot Of Pomegranate Apple Cider Goes
One batch makes 12 cups of base. Here is what that covers, depending on how you pour it.
| Drink | Base per glass | From one batch |
|---|---|---|
| Hot mulled cider | 8 oz | 12 mugs |
| Mocktail | 5 oz | 8 glasses (5 cups) |
| Spritz | 2 oz | 8 glasses (2 cups) |
| The Porch Light | 4 oz | 8 cocktails (4 cups) |
The mocktail, spritz and Porch Light together use 11 of the 12 cups, so one pot covers all three. Pour it all hot instead and you get 12 mugs. Not both. Double the batch if you are serving a crowd more than one way.
Pomegranate Apple Cider Mocktail
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 glass, batch notes included 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free
Description
A sparkling pomegranate cider mocktail over one large clear cube, finished with arils and rosemary. Nobody at my table gets handed a glass of water and an apology.
Ingredients
Single glass
- 5 ounces chilled mulled cider base
- 2 ounces sparkling water
- 1 large clear ice cube
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate arils
- 1 rosemary sprig
Batch (serves 8):
- 5 cups chilled mulled cider base
- 2 cups sparkling water, at the glass
- 8 large clear ice cubes
- 1/2 cup pomegranate arils
- 8 rosemary sprigs
Instructions
- Drop one large clear cube into the glass.
- Pour the chilled cider base over it.
- Top with sparkling water. Never add sparkling water to the pitcher, only at the glass.
- Finish with pomegranate arils and a rosemary sprig clapped between your hands first to wake it up.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Method: No Cook
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 glass
- Calories: 100 calories
- Sugar: 24 g
- Sodium: 15 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 0.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Pomegranate Apple Cider Spritz
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 glass, batch notes included 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free
Description
Chilled pomegranate apple cider topped with Prosecco. Start light and pour heavier if your guests are like mine.
Ingredients
Single glass:
- 2 to 5 ounces chilled mulled cider base
- 1 to 4 ounces prosecco, chilled
- 1 large clear ice cube
- 1 orange wheel
- 1 tablespoon cranberries and pomegranate arils
- 1 cinnamon stick
Batch (serves 8):
- 2 cups chilled mulled cider base
- 2 bottles prosecco, chilled, poured at the glass
- 8 large clear ice cubes
- 8 orange wheels
- 1/2 cup cranberries and pomegranate arils
- 8 cinnamon sticks
Instructions
- Add one large clear cube to the glass.
- Pour the chilled cider base.
- Top with Prosecco, poured down the side of the glass.
- Garnish with an orange wheel, cranberries, pomegranate arils, and a cinnamon stick.
Notes
The Ratio: I start with 1 ounce of Prosecco to 5 ounces of cider. Most of my guests preferred it the other way, 2 parts Prosecco to 1 part cider. Both are lovely. Pour the Prosecco down the side of the glass so it keeps its bubbles. Pomegranate apple cider base — make it from scratch here
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Method: No Cook
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 glass
- Calories: 135 calories
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 10 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 g
The Porch Light Bourbon Apple Cider Cocktail
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 1 glass, batch notes included 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy-Free
Description
Bourbon over one big cube with chilled pomegranate apple cider, an orange peel expressed over the top, and a cinnamon stick to stir. Cold in the glass, warm all the way down.
Ingredients
Single glass:
- 2 ounces bourbon
- 4 ounces chilled mulled cider base
- 1 large clear ice cube
- 1 wide strip orange peel, expressed
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 rosemary sprig
Batch (serves 8):
- 2 cups bourbon
- 4 cups chilled mulled cider base
- 8 large clear ice cubes
- 8 strips orange peel, expressed
- 8 cinnamon sticks
- 8 rosemary sprigs
Instructions
- Add one large clear cube to the glass and pour the bourbon over it.
- Add the chilled cider base and stir once with a cinnamon stick.
- Twist a wide strip of orange peel over the glass to express the oils, then drop it in.
- Finish with a rosemary sprig.
Notes
- Want it warm? Stir the bourbon into a mug straight from the pot. Add it to the mug, never to the pot, or the heat takes the flavor with it.
- A rye works too and runs a little drier.
- Too sweet for you? A small squeeze of lemon fixes it. That is the standard bar correction for any cider cocktail.
- Pomegranate apple cider base — make it from scratch here
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Method: No Cook
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cocktail
- Calories: 205 calories
- Sugar: 17 g
- Sodium: 10 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 g
What To Serve With Pomegranate Apple Cider
A pot of cider deserves something salty and crisp beside it. These three are what I put out, and every one of them can be made before anyone arrives.
- Whipped Feta Crostini with Hot Honey — the hot honey does with heat what the cider does with spice, and the salty feta cuts all that fruit. Serve it beside the spritz or The Porch Light.
- Cranberry Goat Cheese Crostini — the cranberry echoes the base instead of competing with it, and the torched goat cheese gives you something warm next to a cold glass. This is the one for the mocktail.
- Fig and Caramelized Onion Crostini — from my cookbook, Welcome to My Table. Jammy fig and slow onions are what I want beside a mug of hot mulled cider.
How to Make Pomegranate Apple Cider Foolproof
Never let it boil. This is the only rule that matters. A boil turns the fruit bitter and you cannot walk it back. You want steam curling off the surface and nothing more.
Mull it until it goes dark. If you are starting from regular apple cider or apple juice rather than a concentrate, do not rush it. You are looking for velvety and dark, not warm and thin. That is also the point where your house starts smelling the way you wanted it to.
Sweeten at the end, never at the start. Concentrates are already sweetened and they vary a lot. Taste the pot first, then add the rosemary syrup a spoonful at a time.
Whole spices only. Ground cinnamon and ground cloves will not dissolve. They cloud the pot, settle into a grit at the bottom of the mug, and turn harsh the longer they sit. Sticks, stars, and whole cloves in a tea ball, every time.
If it tastes too sweet, it needs acid, not water. This is the single most common complaint about every cider drink there is, and the fix is half a lemon squeezed into the pot or a small squeeze into the glass. Watering it down only makes it taste thin and still sweet.
Skim the foam. Fresh unfiltered cider throws a tan foam from the pectin as it warms. It is harmless. Lift it off with a spoon and the pot stays clear.
Use big clear ice. Houston is warm in the fall and these drinks live on ice, so a standard cube melts fast and waters everything down. Large clear cubes hold their shape and the last sip tastes like the first.
Chill overnight when you can. The spices keep working in the refrigerator, and a base that sat overnight is noticeably better than one that sat an hour.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Strain the whole spices out before you store it. Left in, they keep steeping in the refrigerator and the cider turns bitter by day two.
- Base: make it in batches and refrigerate up to 5 days.
- Store it in a jar or pitcher with a loose lid, not a tightly capped bottle. Fresh unpasteurized cider can keep fermenting and build pressure.
- Freezer: pour the base into ice cube trays and freeze up to 3 months. Use those cubes in the next glass so nothing dilutes.
- Rosemary simple syrup: 2 weeks refrigerated.
- Never store anything with sparkling water or Prosecco already in it.
- Pomegranate arils: sealed in the refrigerator up to 5 days, or frozen flat on a sheet tray and used straight from the freezer.
- Reheat the base gently on the stove or in a slow cooker on warm. Do not let it boil the second time either.
Serving and Pairing Ideas
This is a bar cart set of drinks. I put the tray out with the pitcher of chilled base, a bottle of sparkling water, a bottle of Prosecco, and a bottle of bourbon, and let people build what they want. Four glasses, one pot, and not one conversation about who is drinking and who is not.
The hot version goes in double wall latte mugs so they hold the heat and stay cool enough to carry. Mine are heart shaped, which is exactly right for the season, and a cinnamon sugar rim makes them look like more effort than they were.
On the table it sits well next to salty and rich food. A butter board with warm bread, buttermilk biscuits with honey butter, a bowl of gumbo, or a cheese board leaning on aged cheddar and blue. The tartness resets the palate between bites.
For brunch, pour the spritz. For Thanksgiving afternoon, the mocktail. For the end of the night when the dishes are done, The Porch Light.
What You Will Need
- A heavy pot or Dutch oven. Even heat matters when you are holding something below a simmer for twenty minutes.
- A tea ball or spice sachet. Keeps the mulling spices out of the glass.
- A clear ice tray for large cubes. The single biggest upgrade to any cold drink.
- Double-wall latte mugs for the hot version.
- A tray that fits four glasses. Mine is the one that lives on the bar cart all season.
- Gold tongs and a long bar spoon.
Everything on my cart is in the Bar Cart Edit at the bottom of this post.
Make The Relish While The Cider Simmers
The same cranberries and warm spices that go into the cider go into my No-Boil Cranberry Relish with Warm Winter Spices, and both of them get better sitting in the fridge for a day or two. Make them on the same afternoon. The relish goes on the crostini, on the turkey, and on a spoon standing at the counter when nobody is looking.
Something Green Beside All That Red
A table of cranberry, pomegranate and orange needs one plate that is not sweet. My Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with Whipped Goat Cheese holds the same jewel tones, but the beets are earthy and the goat cheese is tangy, and it gives guests somewhere to land between the crostini and the cider.
If The Cider Turns Into Dinner
Sometimes the drinks turn into a whole evening. When that happens, my Savory Rosemary Bread Pudding is what comes out of the oven, because the rosemary is already in the mocktail and the Porch Light garnish, so the whole table tastes like it was planned. It also goes in the oven while you are pouring, which is the only kind of main course worth making at a party.
More Fall Recipes
- Buttermilk Biscuits. The warm, salty side of this tray.
- Thanksgiving Tablescape. The tables these drinks were styled for.
- Seafood Gumbo. Rich and smoky, cut by something tart and cold.
- Spiced Cranberry Sauce. Same cranberries, different job.
- Thanksgiving Butter Board. The board I set beside this cart.
- Southern Cornbread Dressing.
Explore the whole collection in The Butter Edit.
Shop the Bar Cart Edit
For more of my hosting favorites, browse the Bar Cart Edit.
Every shaker, glass, rim salt, ice mold, and beautiful thing I reach for when I make a cocktail or host at home. The barware and bar cart pieces that turn a quiet evening into a gathering and make entertaining feel effortless.
FAQ
How long does pomegranate apple cider last in the fridge?
Strain the whole spices out, let it cool completely, and it keeps 5 days refrigerated. Leave the spices in and it turns bitter by the second day. It also freezes well for up to 3 months. Leave headroom in the container because it expands.Can you make pomegranate apple cider ahead of time?
Yes, and it is better that way. Mull the base, cool it, and chill it overnight. The spices keep working while it sits, so a base made the day before tastes fuller than one made an hour before. Add sparkling water, Prosecco, or bourbon only at the glass.Why should mulled cider never boil?
Heat above a simmer turns the fruit acids bitter and cooks off the aromatics you spent the afternoon building. You want steam curling off the surface and no bubbles breaking. Twenty minutes on low is all it needs, and bitterness cannot be fixed once it happens.Can you use ground spices instead of whole spices?
No. Ground cinnamon and cloves do not dissolve. They cloud the cider, settle into a grit at the bottom of the mug, and keep getting harsher the longer they sit. Use cinnamon sticks, star anise, and whole cloves in a tea ball or a spice sachet so you can lift them out.What is the difference between apple cider and apple juice?
Apple cider is pressed and unfiltered, so it is cloudy and carries more body and tannin. Apple juice is filtered, clarified, and usually sweetened. Cider is what gives this drink structure. Juice will make it taste thin. Skip anything labeled juice cocktail.What is a good non alcoholic Thanksgiving drink?
Chilled mulled pomegranate apple cider over one large clear cube, topped with sparkling water and finished with pomegranate arils and rosemary. It looks like everything else on the bar and tastes like a real drink. Nobody should be handed water and an apology.What bourbon is best with apple cider?
A mid range Kentucky bourbon with vanilla and caramel notes. Two ounces over one big cube, then four ounces of chilled cider. If it tastes too sweet, squeeze in a little lemon rather than adding more cider. A rye runs drier. Save the expensive bottle for sipping neat.Can you make mulled cider in a slow cooker?
Yes, and it is the better choice when you are hosting. Everything goes in, low for 2 hours, then hold on the warm setting up to 4 hours. It keeps the stove free and the house smells the way you want it to the whole time.How do you batch a cider spritz for a party?
Keep the two parts separate. Chill a pitcher of the cider base and keep the Prosecco cold and unopened until people arrive. Pour cider into each glass over ice, then top with Prosecco at the glass. One bottle covers about 6 spritzes at 4 ounces each.More Recipes, More Moments
Welcome to My Table is my cookbook filled with recipes rooted in connection, flavor, and elevated everyday moments. From weeknight dinners to gatherings worth remembering.
Which one is going on your bar this year: hot, mocktail, spritz, or The Porch Light?
