Salted Caramel Apple Cider Martini

Get a taste of fall with this salted caramel martini. It's sweet yet tart and made with apple cider and homemade caramel that can be used all season long. This boozy cocktail can be made with gin or vodka and is sure to be a party hit!

Happy Halloween! While the kids get trick or treating, the adults get cocktails right? This apple cider martini has a hint of sweet caramel with crisp apple that's sure to put you in the Halloween spirit.

Jump to:

• Ingredients and notes
• Salted caramel variations
• How to rim the martini glass
• Directions
• Expert tips
• Recipe
• Reviews

Ingredients and notes

• Apple cider - Used to add a crisp apple flavor to the martini. Make sure to use 100% juice apple cider.
• Gin - The liquor in this martini. swap for vodka if you prefer a vodka martini.
• Benedictine - A liqueur that provides a hint of orange to the drink. Substitute with Amaro or Grand Marnier if needed.
• Salted caramel - Adds caramel flavors to the apple cider martini. I used a homemade caramel sauce and I have a few different options in the section below.

Salted caramel variations

I used my dairy free salted caramel sauce in this apple cider martini. I love this recipe because it makes a decent amount that keeps well in the fridge all fall long. You can use it in my oat milk latte, caramel sugar cookie ice cream sandwiches, or simply as a dip for apples!

If you want to make a quick and easy caramel sauce for a cocktail though, I have you covered:

• 1 teaspoon almond butter
• 3 teaspoon maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon coconut oil

Add the ingredient to a bowl or cup and heat in 10 second intervals. Continue to stir until a nice thick caramel forms. Stir in a pinch of sea salt and let it sit in the fridge to cool down for at least 20 minutes. This is enough caramel for 1 cocktail with a caramel rim or two cocktails without the rim.

How to rim the martini glass

To rim the glass spread about a teaspoon of caramel on a shallow plate. Tip the glass upside down and run the rim through the pile of caramel to coat the entire rim. Allow any excess caramel to drip off before flipping the glass right side up. Set it to the side to set while you prepare the drink. I like to place it in the fridge or freezer to chill the glass too!

Because the caramel sauce I used was already salted, I didn't see a need to add extra salt to the rim. If you really want to level up the salt factor though, feel free to add salt on top of the caramel.

To do this, I recommend rimming the glass with caramel like directed above, allow excess to run off, and then dipping the rim in a separate plate with sea salt. The salt will stick right to the caramel nicely. Then flip the glass up right and allow the rim to set.

Directions

1. First add the caramel to the bottom of a glass.
2. Then add the apple cider and mix well to incorporate the caramel. This can be done with a spoon or a small whisk.
3. Pour the caramel mixture into a cocktail shaker with ice and add the gin and benedictine.
4. Shake well for at least 20 seconds.
5. Pour into a martini glass with a caramel rim and enjoy!

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Expert tips

• Make sure your caramel has cooled down all the way before using it in this cocktail. Nobody wants a warm apple cider martini....
• The key to a good martini is to really get it cold. This means shaking it quite a bit - like more than you would think. Shaking it with ice actually breaks up the ice in the drink to ensure it's perfectly chilled.
• Try to use high quality liquor. Go for a dry London gin like Hendrick's gin. You can also check out the best gins for martinis.
• Once you rim the glass, place it in the fridge or freezer while you prepare the martini. This will chill the glass as well as set the caramel rim.

For more boozy drinks, check out my:

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Recipe