Oh hello there winter! There you are.

After quite the mild winter so far, it seems only fitting that it would start getting a little colder right around December 1st – just in time to kick off the holiday season. While I’m actually not a huge fan of winter {great job living in the Midwest, Maya!}, there’s something wonderful about cozying up on a cold winter night with a fire, candles and a delicious warm cocktail.

I used to spend most of my holidays in Florida or Mexico with my family, and while I loved spending time on the beach, I would always kinda miss having a cozy holidays back home with a Christmas tree, too many homemade biscotti and warm, spiked cocktails like this Cinnamon Bourbon Apple Cider. Lucky for me – this year I’m spending 2 weeks in snowy Madison to get the full holiday effect, including making these Cinnamon Bourbon Apple Cider for everyone I know…they’re so good and pretty much the easiest cocktail I know how to make. Double points in my book! Alright, are you ready for this super simple recipe to rock your holidays? Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients: 

• Fresh apple cider {Don’t get the cheap stuff! You’ll thank me later…}

• Bourbon {I used Bulliet from Drizly}

• Cinnamon sugar for the rim

• Rosemary Sprigs

• Fresh, sliced apples for garnish

Directions: 

• Mix equal parts of cinnamon and sugar on a small plate. Dip the rim of your glass in apple cider and then onto the plate with cinnamon sugar.

• Mix 2 parts bourbon and 4 parts apple cider in a microwave safe glass for about 20-25 seconds, making sure it doesn’t get too hot. If you’d like your drink iced {as shown above}, feel free to skip this step!

• Add a slice of fresh apple and a rosemary sprig to your glass and enjoy!

So while this might be the easiest recipe in the world, I can promise you that it’s absolutely delicious! I made it for my family and they were super impressed by how tasty it was – my dad even asked for a second drink! Hopefully it will be a hit at your next holiday party {or let’s be real…weekday night party of 1} as it has been for me 😉