I’m a girl who loves Fall. I love the cooler weather, the approaching holiday spirit, and, of course, apple season! Apple picking one of my favorite fall acitivies, and I always get so excited and pick too many. This homemade apple pie vodka is the perfect recipe to make with an abundance of freshly-picked apples. Infused with cinnamon, it’s so easy to make and so delicious. It’s ready to use in just 2 days, and it’s perfect for adding to just about any fall cocktail.
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After picking a whole peck of apples (because clearly I have great ambitions and no self-control!), making enough homemade apple pies to keep us all stuffed for weeks, and eating as many apples as my stomach can take, I always still have some left over. Enter, this homemade apple pie vodka recipe. It’s perfect for using up those last few apples– it’s super simple, tastes amazing, and makes a great gift to boot!
What’s in This Apple Pie Vodka Recipe?
- Apples: I recommend Granny Smith apples because they have a wonderfully tart flavor that balances well with the cinnamon and simple syrup.
- Cinnamon Sticks: Whole cinnamon sticks infuse the vodka with a warm and spicy flavor without adding any unpleasant grittiness.
- Everclear: This 190-proof grain alcohol has an extremely neutral flavor that really lets the apple and cinnamon flavors shine through. It should be diluted 1:1 with filtered water because of its strength (important step!).
- Filtered Water: Helps to dilute the Everclear to create a less potent vodka. Using filtered water increases the shelf-life of this vodka by reducing possible contaminants.
- Simple Syrup: A simple mixture of equal parts water and granulated sugar cooked until the sugar has fully dissolved, then cooled in the fridge. This helps sweeten the vodka without adding any grittiness.
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Top Tip
If you’d like to make this recipe with regular vodka, simply omit the filtered water and fill the jar the rest of the way with more vodka. I recommend using a vodka you like the taste of, as it will definitely contribute. I think whipped cream or vanilla vodka would be great! Or try caramel vodka for a caramel apple flavor.
How to Store
Store apple pie vodka in a tightly sealed mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. It may keep for longer than that depending on how well it was strained. I always recommend giving it a smell and a taste before using it in a cocktail.
Serving Suggestions
I have some really great cocktails that I love to use this apple pie vodka in. It’s really tasty in my apple pie Moscow mule, apple cider punch, and apple pie sangria. I also have a feeling it’d be really delicious in my favorite holiday punch!
Homemade Apple Pie Vodka
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Ingredients
For the Homemade Apple Pie Vodka
- 4-5 Granny Smith apples sliced
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 2 cups Everclear
- 1¾ cup filtered water
- ¼ cup simple syrup
Instructions
- Fill a 32-ounce mason jar with the sliced apples and cinnamon sticks. Use more or less apples as needed to fill the jar all the way to the top.
- Pour in the Everclear. Use more or less Everclear to fill to the brim.
- Seal the jar and shake lightly to make sure that all of the apples are fully submerged and touched by the Everclear.
- Refrigerate for a minimum of 48 hours.
- When ready to continue, pour the Everclear through a fine mesh strainer to remove the fruit and cinnamon. Return the flavored vodka to the mason jar.
- Pour in the simple syrup and filtered water. Stir to fully combine.
- Seal tightly and store in the fridge until ready for use.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
Nutrition Information
Can you use the soaked apples for sangria if you’re making the vodka to use in sangria?
We don’t see why not!
Can I use regular Vodka instead of Everclear?
Yes!
I’m a bit surprised that this is only good for 2-3 weeks, with as much alcohol that’s in it, one would expect a MUCH longer shelf life.
Even though we strain out the apples, there can still be remnants of the fruit in the vodka that can cause it to spoil more quickly. Plus, the simple syrup and water do dilute the alcohol a bit. That being said, we do always like to give conservative estimates simply because we’re introducing a possibility for contamination by moving the alcohol from its original sterile bottle.
Store in refrigerator & it’ll keep for months. Several yrs in now on this. Will modify recipe this year to add apple cider & juice offsetting water for more apple flavor :)