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    Home » Vegan recipes » Drinks » Cocktails and mocktails

    Hard Apple Cider Cocktail with Smoked Sage

    Last Modified: Jan 17, 2020 by Becky Striepe

    Disclosure: This post may contain Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See my Privacy Policy for more details.

    Recipe Print

    A hard apple cider cocktail with smoked sage and a splash of gin is a sweet, herbal combination that's surprisingly refreshing.

    pair of glasses with ice and hard apple cider cocktail garnished with sage and an apple slice

    This fall cocktail recipe doubles as an unofficial Election Night cocktail. My unofficial name for this unofficial Election Night cocktail is Pundit Punch (Thank you for the idea, Alison Weber!). Because no matter who you're voting for, I think we all can agree that Tuesday is going to be pretty intense and puns are the best.

    More bubbly goodness: Mango Habanero IPA Shandy, Sour Watermelon Shandy

    Smoky sage, sweet hard apple cider, and herbal gin with a squeeze of lime work beautifully together in this drink. Serve it in a tall glass with a sprig of sage and a slice of apple or some leftover lime as your garnish.

    Smoked cocktails are starting to pop up on bar menus, and to make them, bartenders use a special smoker doohickey to add a hint of smoky flavor to your drink. It's really cool. It's also out of reach for most home cooks, but you don't need a doohickey to make this hard apple cider cocktail.

    overhead photo of glasses with ice and hard apple cider cocktail garnished with sage and an apple slice

    Instead, I'm using a trick that I learned from Tales of the Cocktail. It's really cool, and anyone with a lighter or a gas stove can do it.

    Smoking Cocktail Glasses with Sage

    To smoke this hard apple cider cocktail, you take a sprig of sage, and toast it like a marshmallow. I did this by holding it with tongs over a burner on my stove. When it's smoking nicely, put it on a small plate, and place your glass over the smoking herb. If you're doing a bunch of these, just get a batch of glasses smoking, and you're ready to roll.

    Smoked sage felt right for an Election Night cocktail, because after this election season, I definitely feel like I need to cleanse. Sage smudging is an ancient ritual to cleanse your life of negativity, and burning sage for this drink gives the house that same lingering, smoky, herbal smell that you get from sage smudging.

    pair of glasses with ice and hard apple cider cocktail garnished with sage and an apple slice, text overlay

    I am using Angry Orchard Stone Dry Hard Cider, which I chose because it's not overly sweet, it's vegan, and it's available in most grocery stores. A lot of hard ciders are vegan, but not all. Some of Angry Orchard's ciders even aren't, so definitely check Barnivore before you shop, so you'll know your options.

    overhead photo of glasses with ice and hard apple cider cocktail garnished with sage and an apple slice

    Hard Apple Cider Cocktail with Smoked Sage

    A hard apple cider cocktail with smoked sage and a splash of gin is a sweet, herbal combination that's surprisingly refreshing.
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    Course: Drinks
    Cuisine: Vegan
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes
    Servings: 2 cocktails
    Calories: 157kcal
    Author: Becky Striepe

    Ingredients

    • 2 sprigs fresh sage
    • juice of 1 fresh lime
    • 2 ounces gin
    • 1 12 ounce bottle vegan hard apple cider - sweet or dry, depending on your tastes
    • garnishes of your choice: apple slice - additional sage, lime wedge

    Instructions

    • Have a flat plate ready that can hold two of your tall glasses upside-down. Use a kitchen torch, the burner of your stove, or a lighter to toast one sprig of sage. You don't need the whole thing to turn black - once you see smoke coming off of the leaves, move quickly to get it under that glass. When it begins to smoke, place it on your plate, and cover it with one of the glasses, making sure no smoke is escaping. Repeat with the other sprig and another glass. Let the glasses rest for about 5 minutes, so give the sage time to do its thing.
    • Add ice to your glass, then divide the lime juice and gin between them.
    • Top off slowly with the hard cider, and serve with your garnishes of choice.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 157kcal
    Tried this recipe? Share your photo!Mention @GlueAndGlitter on Instagram or Twitter!
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    About Becky Striepe

    Headshot of Becky Striepe in front of a teal wall

    Hi there! I'm Becky Striepe (rhymes with sleepy), and I love using gadgets and shortcuts to create easy vegan comfort food recipes for busy people. Whether you love your Instant Pot, your air fryer, or just love delicious plant-based meals, stick around. You'll like it here.

    Learn more about me >>>

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Joey

      July 03, 2018 at 3:55 pm

      The weather here is insanely hot, and now all I want is a glass of this. I have some sage to hand too - it's almost like it was meant to be...

      Reply
      • Becky Striepe

        July 09, 2018 at 7:30 am

        It's kismet!

        Reply
    2. Aimee | Wallflower Kitchen

      November 02, 2016 at 6:11 pm

      Ohhhhh I didn't get the pun before but I LOVE it. Genius! It sounds delicious and the photos are beautiful too. Big hugs and lot's of luck from England!

      Reply
      • Becky Striepe

        November 02, 2016 at 7:27 pm

        Thank you, Aimee!!

        Reply

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    About Me

    Glue and Glitter
    Hi! My name is Becky Striepe (rhymes with “sleepy”). I love using gadgets and shortcuts to create easy vegan comfort food recipes for busy people. Whether you love your Instant Pot, your air fryer, or just love delicious plant-based meals, stick around. You'll like it here. → READ MORE

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