3 Fall Sake Cocktails With Apple Cider and Spice

Apple cider, cinnamon and nutmeg can taste like fall without turning a drink into liquid pie. The trick is to keep sake as the base, use fresh cider for body, and add spice with a light hand.

These three chilled cocktails are easy to make at home. Each recipe gives you an exact pour, glass, ice, method, garnish and yield. No stove or specialty syrup required.

Three fall sake cocktails made with apple cider, spice and nigori. See the taproom menu →

The quick guide

• Use a clean Junmai Ginjo for cider and citrus.
• Use a cloudy nigori when you want more texture and built-in spice.
• Chill the sake, cider and glassware before mixing.
• Measure every ingredient. A small change in cider or citrus is easy to taste in a sake-based drink.
• Treat cinnamon, nutmeg and star anise as accents, not main ingredients.

Why sake works in a fall cocktail

Sake is brewed, not distilled. Our American Standard Junmai Ginjo is 15% ABV. That does not make every sake cocktail low alcohol, especially if you add brandy or another spirit, so measure each alcoholic ingredient rather than judging strength by taste.

American Standard is our cleanest all-purpose cocktail base. We brew it at a 60% seimaibuai, meaning 60% of each rice grain remains after polishing, and bottle it as genshu without adding water after pressing. You can read the full process in How We Brew American Sake in Denver.

For these recipes, refrigerate the sake and cider before you begin. We like American Standard cold, but 38 to 42°F is a house serving preference, not a rule for every sake. A cold starting point also means you need less time on the ice to chill the drink.

Recipe 1: Apple Cider Sake Sour

Apple Cider Sake Sour with cinnamon and lemon. Shop American Standard →

Bright apple, fresh lemon and a gentle cinnamon aroma, with sake making up the largest share of the drink.

Yield: 1 cocktail, about 5 1/2 ounces before ice dilution
Glassware: 10 to 12-ounce rocks glass
Ice: 1 cup standard cubes for shaking, plus 1 large cube for serving

Ingredients

• 3 ounces chilled Junmai Ginjo sake, such as American Standard
• 2 ounces chilled fresh, nonalcoholic apple cider
• 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 1 cinnamon stick, for garnish

Method

1. Place one large cube in the rocks glass and set it aside.
2. Add the sake, apple cider and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker.
3. Add 1 cup ice. Seal and shake firmly for 8 seconds.
4. Strain into the prepared rocks glass over the fresh ice.
5. Garnish with the cinnamon stick. Serve immediately.

Brewery note: Taste your cider before mixing. If it is especially sweet, increase the lemon juice to 3/4 ounce on the next round. If it is very tart, reduce the lemon to 1/4 ounce. Keep the sake at 3 ounces so it remains the base.

Recipe 2: Horchata Nigori Spice Cup

Horchata Nigori Spice Cup with nutmeg and cinnamon.

Cloudy Horchata Nigori supplies the creamy texture plus cinnamon and vanilla notes. Apple cider and fresh nutmeg bring it into fall.

Yield: 1 cocktail, 4 ounces before ice dilution
Glassware: 8 to 10-ounce rocks glass
Ice: 1 cup standard cubes for shaking, plus 1 large cube

Ingredients

• 3 ounces chilled Horchata Nigori
• 1 ounce chilled fresh, nonalcoholic apple cider
• Fresh whole nutmeg, for 2 light passes on a fine grater

Method

1. With the cap closed, gently roll the Horchata Nigori bottle end over end 3 times to redistribute the settled rice solids. Do not shake it hard.
2. Place one large cube in the rocks glass.
3. Add the Horchata Nigori and apple cider to a cocktail shaker.
4. Add 1 cup ice. Seal and shake gently for 5 seconds.
5. Strain into the prepared glass over the large cube.
6. Grate the nutmeg twice over the surface. Serve immediately.

Optional brandy version: Add exactly 1/2 ounce apple brandy before shaking. This makes the drink stronger, so keep it clearly optional rather than treating it as a flavor-only addition.

Nigori is coarsely filtered sake with fine rice solids left in the bottle, which accounts for its cloudy appearance and fuller texture. Our Nigori Sake guide explains the style in more detail.

Recipe 3: Sparkling Cider Sake Highball

Sparkling Cider Sake Highball with apple and cinnamon. Shop current sake →

This long drink pairs cider with a bright lime finish. Use Colorado Sake Co. Lime Sake Seltzer when you can get it, or use the measured club soda and lime substitute below.

Yield: 1 cocktail, 6 ounces before ice displacement
Glassware: 10 to 12-ounce highball glass
Ice: 1 1/2 cups standard cubes

Ingredients

• 2 ounces chilled Junmai Ginjo sake, such as American Standard
• 2 ounces chilled fresh, nonalcoholic apple cider
• 2 ounces chilled Colorado Sake Co. Lime Sake Seltzer
• 1 thin red apple slice, cut into a small fan, for garnish
• 1 cinnamon stick, for garnish

Exact substitute if the seltzer is unavailable: Replace the 2 ounces Lime Sake Seltzer with 2 ounces chilled plain club soda plus 1/4 ounce fresh lime juice. The substitute is nonalcoholic, so the finished drink will contain less alcohol than the seltzer version.

Method

1. Add 1 1/2 cups standard ice cubes to the highball glass.
2. Add the sake and apple cider.
3. Add the Lime Sake Seltzer. If using the substitute, add the lime juice first, then the club soda.
4. Stir gently from the bottom upward 3 times with a bar spoon.
5. Tuck the apple fan and cinnamon stick beside the ice. Serve immediately.

Availability note, checked September 15, 2026: The current brewery menu lists Lime Sake Seltzer by the can, but the online 12-pack is marked sold out. Check the menu or Sake Seltzer product page before making a special trip or placing an order. Colorado Sake Co. identifies the 6% ABV seltzer as a re-fermentation of sake kasu, the pressed rice lees from sake production. Because availability changes, the club soda and lime version above is the dependable at-home fallback.

Which bottle should you choose?

If you want one bottle for the widest range of fall cocktails, start with American Standard. Its clean profile works with cider, lemon and carbonation, and the live store listed it in stock when this guide was checked.

Choose Horchata Nigori when you want a rounder texture and cinnamon-vanilla character before adding a garnish. The live store also listed it in stock when checked. Roll the bottle gently before pouring and keep it refrigerated as directed on the product page.

You can browse the current selection at Drink More Sake. For more warm-weather ideas, save our summer sake cocktail recipes for next season.

Frequently asked questions

Can you mix sake with apple cider?

Yes. Start with 3 ounces sake, 2 ounces fresh nonalcoholic apple cider and 1/2 ounce lemon juice. Shake for 8 seconds with ice, then strain over fresh ice. That ratio keeps sake as the base while cider adds apple flavor and body.

What sake is best for fall cocktails?

A clean Junmai Ginjo is a flexible choice for cider, citrus and sparkling drinks. Nigori works when you want a cloudier, fuller texture. The best bottle depends on the result you want, not on a universal rule.

What spices work with sake and apple cider?

Cinnamon and nutmeg are easy starting points. Use one cinnamon stick as an aromatic garnish or grate whole nutmeg once or twice over the drink. Ground clove and allspice can overwhelm a delicate sake quickly, so use them only in very small, measured amounts.

Should sake cocktails be served cold?

These three recipes should be served cold because they were designed and measured that way. Sake itself can be enjoyed across a range of temperatures depending on style and preference. For these drinks, chill the bottles first and use fresh ice exactly as directed.

How should you store an opened bottle?

Recap it promptly and refrigerate it upright. Our full guide to storing sake covers unopened and opened bottles in more detail.

Make one at home, then taste the lineup in RiNo

Start with the Apple Cider Sake Sour if you want bright and simple. Pick the Horchata Nigori Spice Cup for a creamier drink, or build the highball when bubbles sound right. Then compare the bottles at our Denver taproom or check the current brewery menu before your visit.

Please enjoy responsibly. Colorado Sake Co. serves guests 21 and older.