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Caramel Apple Punch

Caramel apple punch is a chilled, caramel-cinnamon apple cider drink made by whisking caramel sauce and brown sugar into cider, then finishing with ginger ale and ice. The caramel rim and floating apple slices make it visually punch-bowl ready.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
chilling 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Calories: 240
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Caramel apple punch base
  • 4 cup apple cider
  • 1 caramel sauce plus extra for glass rim
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 cup ginger ale or sparkling water add last
  • 1 apple thinly sliced for garnish
  • 4 cinnamon sticks for garnish
  • 1 ice
Spiked version
  • 2 cup caramel vodka use for spiked version; or use butterscotch schnapps
  • 1.5 cup butterscotch schnapps use instead of caramel vodka (choose one)
Caramel glass rim
  • 0.5 caramel sauce extra for rim
  • 0.25 cup cinnamon sugar for rim (caramel sauce + cinnamon sugar)

Method
 

Rim the glasses
  1. Dip each glass rim in caramel sauce, then dip into cinnamon sugar to coat. Refrigerate the glasses while you prepare the punch.
Make the caramel apple cider
  1. Whisk caramel sauce, brown sugar, and cinnamon into the apple cider until fully dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture should look smooth and uniformly caramel-colored.
  2. If making the spiked version, whisk in caramel vodka or butterscotch schnapps until combined. Taste and confirm the flavor is balanced.
  3. Refrigerate the punch base for 30 minutes to chill. Keep it covered so the surface doesn’t pick up fridge odors.
Serve the punch
  1. Just before serving, add ginger ale or sparkling water to the chilled base. Stir gently so carbonation remains lively.
  2. Fill serving glasses with ice as you ladle in the punch. The drink should look golden with a light foam from the carbonation.
  3. Garnish each glass with thin apple slices and a cinnamon stick. Serve immediately after adding the garnishes.

Notes

Pro tip: chill the punch base first, then add ginger ale and ice right before serving to keep it from going flat. Refrigerate the base (without ginger ale and ice) up to 3 days; add ginger ale and ice only at serving time. Freezing isn’t recommended because carbonation is required. For a lower-sugar swap, use reduced-sugar caramel sauce and omit the brown sugar or reduce it to 1 tbsp (still dissolve well in the cider).