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Caramel Apple Punch

Caramel apple punch made by dissolving caramel sauce into chilled apple cider, then layering apple slices and cinnamon sticks in a sparkling ginger ale base. Rimming glasses with caramel and coarse sugar gives every sip a crisp, sweet edge.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Drink
Cuisine: American
Calories: 220
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Apple cider, chilled
  • 0.5 gallon apple cider Chill before mixing for a cold, punchy drink.
Caramel sauce
  • 0.5 cup caramel sauce Use extra for rimming glasses.
Ginger ale, chilled
  • 2 liter ginger ale Chill so it stays fizzy when added.
Vanilla vodka (optional)
  • 1 cup vanilla vodka Optional; add to punch bowl if desired.
Apples, thinly sliced
  • 2 apples Thinly slice for floating pieces.
Cinnamon sticks
  • 4 cinnamon sticks Add to punch bowl for aroma and garnish.
Ice
  • 1 ice Add just before serving to keep the punch cold.
Coarse sugar for rimming
  • 1 coarse sugar Use for caramel sugar rims on glasses.

Method
 

Make the caramel cider base
  1. Whisk caramel sauce into 2 cups of the chilled apple cider until fully dissolved.
  2. Pour the caramel cider and the remaining apple cider into a punch bowl, adding vanilla vodka if using.
  3. Add the thinly sliced apples and cinnamon sticks to the punch bowl so they float through the mixture.
Rim and finish the punch
  1. Dip the glass rims in caramel, then dip into coarse sugar to coat the edge.
  2. Just before serving, pour in the chilled ginger ale and add ice to keep the punch sparkling.
  3. Ladle the caramel apple punch into the rimmed glasses, making sure apples and cinnamon are included.

Notes

For the cleanest, most even rim, dip glass rims one at a time and fill right away so the sugar sticks. Store the cider base (without ginger ale and ice) in the refrigerator up to 2 days; add ginger ale and ice only at serving time for best bubbles. Freezing is not recommended because the ginger ale will lose carbonation after thawing. For a dairy-free swap, use store-bought caramel sauce labeled dairy-free or make a simple caramel from coconut cream-style recipes.