Apple Cider Pumpkin Shandy

Get all the flavors of fall in one glass! Apple cider pumpkin shandy takes off the sharp sweetness of hard cider and adds just enough pumpkin beer for a perfectly carbonated fall twist.

Course beer cocktails

Cuisine Cocktails

Keyword beer shandy, easy fall cocktails, fall cocktails, less sweet hard cider, tailgating cocktails

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Servings drinks

Calories 240kcal

Author Lauren

Ingredients

2 12-ounce bottles or cans hard cider
2 12-ounce bottles or cans pumpkin style beer

Cinnamon Sugar Rim

¼ cup Salted Caramel Sauce
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions

Make the cinnamon sugar: if you're opting for the cinnamon sugar rim, do this step before making your pumpkin shandy. In a small bowl combine the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and set aside.
Rim the glass: Heat the caramel in the microwave or on the stove top just until it is warm and liquid enough to slowly drip off a spoon - like the thickness of honey. Dip the lip of the glass in the caramel and slowly bring it up, letting the caramel drip down the sides then immediately dip in the cinnamon sugar before the caramel dries.
Make the shandy: In your caramel cinnamon rimmed glass, tilt the glass and pour half a can/bottle of pumpkin beer down the side of the glass. Wait 30 seconds or so for the foam to go down then top with half a can/bottle of hard cider.
Repeat. One can/bottle of each will make two cocktails. A four pack of both will make enough for 8 servings, which makes this Apple Cider Pumpkin Shandy great for entertaining.

Notes

For hard cider, Downeast is my favorite. It's unfiltered and full of real apple flavor.

For pumpkin beer, I like Southern Tier's Imperial Pumpkin. It's higher in ABV so it packs a little more punch, but the pumpkin flavor is really forward so it won't be masked by the hard cider.

You can substitute regular apple cider for the hard cider if you're looking for a cocktail lighter in alcohol. It will make the cocktail sweeter and less carbonated, just keep that in mind.

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