One drink that my husband and I enjoy having every winter is my Jack Apple Spice. It mixes what I love about the Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice drink, and he loves from the Jack Daniel's lineup of spirits. So, while we prepped our drinks before the first Christmas lights activation of the year, I snapped some photos to help you make this cozy warm drink that heats you from the inside out!

The great thing about this recipe is that it can be enjoyed with Winter Jack (Jack Daniel's Hard Cider sold only in October) or with Jack Daniel's Apple (sold year-round), though we typically prefer it with Winter Jack. As always, please drink responsible and legally!

The first half of this recipe is a copy cat version of Starbucks' Caramel Apple Spice. For that you'll need caramel syrup (splurge for the good stuff), old-fashioned or natural apple juice (the kind you have to shake up because stuff settled to the bottom of the bottle), cinnamon dolce syrup (recipe included), and Jack Daniel's Winter Jack or Apple. You can heat up the apple huice microwave, crockpot or stove top, but the cinnamon dolce syrup will have to be made on the stove top strictly. Be sure to heat up your cider BEFORE adding in the Jack. Heating up the alcohol, especially on the stove, will cook out the alcohol. The alcohol will heat up organically in the hot liquid when added.

We've found that the best way to serve this is in a glass mug, Irish coffee mug, or lowball glass. Proceed with caution if using a handleless glass as the drink does start out very hot. We had to wait a while before digging into ours because we couldn't hold the glass.

Garnish with an apple slice or a dollip of whipped cream for a little something extra. I tried to use a cinnamon stick for ours but our McCormick sticks were too short! Haha!

Jack Apple Spice

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 5

Total Time 10

Course Drinks

Servings 1 Drink

Ingredients

Cinnamon Dolce Syrup

1 cup water
1 cup brown sugar packed
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Jack Apple Spice

1 glass apple juice
1/2 - 1 tablespoon caramel syrup
1 - 2 tablespoons dulce syrup
1 - 2 jiggers Jack Daniel's Winter Jack or 1/2 to 2 shots depending on cup size

Instructions

Cinnamon Dolce Syrup

To create the syrup, bring water, brown sugar and cinnamon to a boil. Once at a boil, cut heat. Make sure that all the ingredients are well combined and the sugar is dissolved.
Cut heat and let cool to room temperature. Store in airtight container in fridge for future use.

Jack Apple Spice

Drizzle caramel syrup along the bottom and sides of the glass. Pour to taste.
Add apple juice to glass and add in 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon dolce syrup. This is all dependent on how sweet you want your cider to become. Microwave for 2 minutes.
Add 1/2 to 2 shots of Jack Daniel's Winter Jack.
Stir and serve.

Notes

Optional:

For added WOW! serve your drink with a cinnamon stick and a small slice of apple on the rim.

Enjoy without the alcohol for a copy cat Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice.

Keyword Alcoholic Drinks

What's your go-to winter drink? We had such a great time as a family, our tradition of taking our son outside and making the first lighting of the house decor a big spectacle, and then running inside to warm up and dive into our hot drinks. Of course, Miles loves his hot cocoa over apple cider, but that's ok. Let me know what you drink in the comments below!

Jack Apple Spice Recipe with Jack Daniel's Apple Whiskey