A Refreshing Cocktail To Celebrate The Fall Season
If you’re excited about all the fall flavors but having a tough time getting into the fall vibes because it still feels like summer, this White Wine Apple Tiki Cocktail is for you! And if you’re enjoying cooler temps but wishing you were poolside, then you can mix this cheerful drink and dream of your next tropical vacation.
It’s the perfect refreshing libation to enjoy with friends for any celebration or simply “just because.” And, it’s easy to make combining Chardonnay, spiced rum, apple cider, and orange liqueur. You can blend it or shake and pour it over crushed ice for a summery drink with all the fall spice orchard flavors of the season. This post is published in partnership with CK Mondavi and Family Wines, however, all opinions and the recipe are my own.
My friends at CK Mondavi and Family Wines are celebrating their 75th Anniversary and asked me to create a cocktail to celebrate! Join sisters Riana and Angelina Mondavi for a celebratory “cheers” on IG Live on Thursday, October 7th at 4 pm PDT. You can whip up this apple tiki cocktail, or your favorite wine cocktail and join us too! They’re also doing a Diamonds Sweepstakes and you don’t want to miss it. But more on that later.
I’ve been so proud to be a CK Mondavi and Family Ambassador since 2016 and get to know the family behind this iconic American winery. They’ve been crafting affordable great quality wines since 1946 that are perfect to share with family and friends to make every day feel like a celebration.
Let’s go celebrate and #MakeSomedayHappen!
Jump to RecipeWant a Wine Cocktail That Is Not A Sangria?
When you think of wine cocktails, you probably instantly think of sangria. Why? Because they’re delicious and easy to make. Basically, it’s a combination of wine and wine-soaked fruit. For this fall cocktail, I decided to go with a Tiki-style drink to mix things up a bit. Also because I really wish I was on a tropical beach right now.
What makes this a tiki cocktail? I’m using spiced rum, fresh juice, citrus liqueur, and spiced bitters. A tiki cocktail’s predominant flavors are spices and exotic fruits. By using a fresh apple cider in place of tropical juices, I’m giving it the fall vibes. The tiki bitters add an exotic layer of flavor, in a very easy-to-make drink.
But if you’re looking for a sangria to enjoy this fall, check out my Southern Apple Pie Sangria recipe. It’s so good you may skip dessert and have this instead!
A Little Travel Inspiration: California
You may think of Hawaii when you think Tiki Cocktails – they are Polynesian-inspired drinks after all. But I’m thinking California. CK Mondavi Wines are from Napa and Tiki cocktails originated in California in 1933 when the first “tiki bar” – Don The Beachcomber – opened in Hollywood. Trader Vic’s opened shortly thereafter in Oakland. Both restaurants became known around the world making “tiki” a thing. By the 1950s, tiki bars were all the rage but by the 1970s they went out of style. I wonder if brothers Robert and Peter Mondavi enjoyed a tiki drink in those early days when they took over the winery from their father Cesare in 1959.
The resurgence of the craft cocktail in the late 1990s and early 2000s brought tiki bars back into trend. Everything old is new again after all. This time around Tiki cocktails are being made in the original tradition with nice quality rum, fresh juices, housemade spiced drams, and bitters.
On my “someday list” of places to visit is The Tonga Hut, Los Angeles’ oldest surviving Tiki Bar, established in 1958 by brothers Ace and Ed Libby. Also high on my foodie travel wish list is High Roller Tiki Lounge in Solvang. It features wine-based tiki cocktails in a Disney-inspired environment. Gotta love that!
What White Wine to use in a Tiki Cocktail?
I chose CK Mondavi Chardonnay for this Apple forward tiki cocktail. With “Bright and Fresh” aromas of lemon and citrus, and flavors of apple and pear with a hint of oak, it blends nicely with the spiced rum and apple cider. You can make this tiki cocktail with your favorite white wine but keep in mind you’ll want a wine with notes of stone fruit, tropical fruit, and citrus. Stay away from wines with grassy/herbaceous or vegetal notes as you want the flavor to be complimentary with apples and fall spices.
Be sure to chill the wine before you make the cocktail. It always helps the ice not melt as fast. The great thing is, the CK Mondavi labels are printed with thermochromic ink which tells you when the wine is chilled to the proper temperature for serving. It will brighten at 55 degrees Fahrenheit!
White Wine Apple Tiki Cocktail Ingredients:
Here’s what I’m using to make this White Wine Apple Tiki Cocktail:
- Chardonnay – I used CK Mondavi Chardonnay
- Spiced Rum – it’s important that it be spiced or dark, not a white rum
- Orange Liqueur
- Fresh Apple Cider
- Tiki or Cinnamon Spiced Bitters
- Fresh Apple and Mint for garnish
You can also make this cocktail with sparkling apple cider but I like the deeper flavor of fresh apple cider best.
I used Elemakule Tiki Bitters from Bittermens but if you don’t have spiced or cinnamon bitters, use orange bitters like Angostura, and add a few dashes of cinnamon and nutmeg. This is where those layers of flavor that are predominant in tiki cocktails come in. A dash or two of bitters always elevates a cocktail.
How To Make a White Wine Apple Tiki Cocktail
This is the easy part. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Give it a good 12-second shake and strain over crushed ice. You can also blend all ingredients with ice but be sure you do a pulse rather than full frappe as you don’t necessarily want the drink completely frozen. Or maybe you do, and that’s ok too.
If you are using sparkling cider, add this at the end after you blend, or be careful of it overly foaming when you shake or blend.
Garnish with apple slices and fresh mint and serve!
Here’s the recipe. Be sure to pin it and share it and save it for later. I hope you enjoy it!
White Wine Apple Tiki Cocktail Recipe
A refreshing cocktail with all the flavors of the fall season. Easy to make it combines chardonnay, spiced rum, orange liqueur, and apple cider. Blend it or shake it over ice and enjoy!
- 3 oz CK Mondavi Chardonnay
- 1 oz spiced rum
- 1/2 oz orange liqueur
- 2 oz sparkling apple cider or fresh apple cider
- 1/2 oz orange liqueur
- orange or Tiki spiced bitters
- fresh apple slices and mint for garnish
- Blend all ingredients with ice or shake all ingredients and pour over crushed iced
- If using sparkling cider, add it after you blend or shake the ingredients
- Garnish with fresh mint and apple slices
Why Choose CK Mondavi and Family Wines?
The word “family” is prominently in their name and on their label. And this is no marketing gimmick. The 3rd and 4th generation of the Mondavi family, considered by many wine royalty, owns and is actively involved in the everyday operation of this 75-year-old winery. Dad Marc and mom Janice with their daughters Angelina, Alycia, Riana, and Giovanna, continue the legacy established by Cesare Mondavi in 1946.
CK Mondavi and Family’s grapes are 100% sourced from California vineyards, utilizing sustainable farming techniques and winemaking practices used by the best of the best wineries in the region. These may be value wines, priced under $10 per bottle, but their commitment to quality winemaking and hands-on small lot sourcing sets them apart. A large portion of the grapes in CK Mondavi and Family wines are estate grown on the family’s 1,850 acres of vineyard property and the family is committed to working with American growers that they’ve had partnerships with for generations.
CK Mondavi and Family are the first and only wines 100% “Made in USA Certified®” and the family produces wines that are consistent, vintage-to-vintage, providing consumers with a value and quality they can rely on. Whether you prefer Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Moscato, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Red Blends, you’ll find CK Mondavi wines nationwide. They are easy-drinking wines to enjoy on their own and with food or in cocktails. CK Mondavi and Family remains one of the most successful wine brands in America because of its excellent quality and great value.
Are you ready to celebrate?
Toast to 75 years with sisters Riana and Angelina Mondavi on @CKMondaviWines Instagram Live on October 7th at 4 p.m. PT.
Derek Kwong of Barkeep SF created “The Mondavi 75” featuring CK Mondavi Moscato or CK Mondavi Sauvignon Blanc for a refreshing seasonal drink. He will join the Mondavi sisters on IG Live to make “Mondavi 75” Cocktail recipe. Try it or try my White Wine Apple Tiki Cocktail, or make your own creation and join us!
“Our dedication to crafting high-quality wines at an approachable price point has never wavered. While we usually enjoy our wines just as they are, trying a special new wine cocktail feels extra celebratory,” said Riana Mondavi, member of the fourth generation and Director of Chains – Western Region. “My sister and I will also be reminiscing about some of our favorite family memories and will be talking about what we envision for CK Mondavi and Family for the next 75 years.”
CK Mondavi and Family 75th Anniversary Diamond Sweepstakes
Everyone loves diamonds! To celebrate the 75th Anniversary, consumers can enter the CK Mondavi and Family Diamond Sweepstakes on Facebook, from September 1 – December 31st, 2021. Winners will sparkle with $1000s in diamonds or a luxury travel jewelry case. Complete details and official rules are at ckmondavidiamond.com. Void where prohibited
To learn more about CK Mondavi and Family check out ckmondavi.com and follow them on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube. They have a fun infographic for wine pairings too.
I hope you’ll enjoy this White Wine Apple Tiki Cocktail with family and friends this season and are inspired to celebrate life and cross fun things off your someday list. Go #MakeSomedayHappen one delicious bite, sip, and trip at a time.
Cheers!
Go Epicurista
Disclosure: This post is written in partnership with C.K. Mondavi and Family Wines. As always, all opinions are my own. I only share with you products and experiences I love to inspire you to get together with family and friends, celebrate life and go #MakeSomedayHappen one delicious bite, sip, and trip at a time! To learn more about my guidelines, check out my disclosure policy. Cheers!
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