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Caramel Apple Punch

Caramel Apple Punch is a chilled American party drink made by swirling caramel through apple cider, then topping it with ginger ale for gentle bubbles. Thin-sliced apples and cinnamon sticks float through the golden punch, with optional vanilla vodka and caramel-sugar rims.
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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
  

Caramel Apple Punch
  • 0.5 gallon apple cider Chilled
  • 0.5 cup caramel sauce Plus more for rimming glasses
  • 2 liter ginger ale Chilled
  • 1 cup vanilla vodka Optional
  • 2 apples Thinly sliced
  • 4 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 ice For serving
  • 1 coarse sugar For rimming glasses

Method
 

Make the caramel cider base
  1. Whisk caramel sauce into 2 cups of the chilled apple cider until fully dissolved, with no caramel streaks visible.
  2. Pour the caramel cider into a punch bowl, then add the remaining chilled cider and stir; add vanilla vodka if using.
Add fruit and cinnamon
  1. Add thinly sliced apples and cinnamon sticks to the punch bowl, leaving them floating near the surface.
Rim glasses and finish
  1. Dip the glass rims into caramel, then into coarse sugar so the rim has an even, sandy coating.
  2. Just before serving, pour ginger ale into the punch bowl and add ice for a fresh sparkle.
  3. Ladle the punch into rimmed glasses so apples and cinnamon sticks are included in each serving.

Notes

For the clearest floating fruit, slice the apples thin and add them after the caramel cider base is mixed. Keep the apple cider base and ginger ale chilled separately, then combine and ice right before serving; store assembled punch in the fridge up to 1 day, but for best carbonation, mix no more than a few hours ahead. Freezing is not recommended. For a lower-alcohol version, omit vanilla vodka (still follow the caramel and ginger ale steps).