8 Apple & Whisky Drinks to Shake Up Every Season

Apple brings acidity and sweetness, while whisky adds richness, oak and depth. Together, they create cocktails that feel balanced rather than overly sweet. 
 
Still apple juice gives a rounder, softer texture. Sparkling apple mixers make drinks feel lighter and more refreshing, especially in long serves. 
 
Fresh apple juice and soda are ideal for warm-weather highballs and spritzes. Spiced cider, warming garnishes and hot serves come into their own in colder months. 

Some cocktails like to keep you guessing. This isn’t one of them. Sweet, sour and bursting with apple flavour, it’s got future favourite written all over it.  
 
Flavour profile: Zingy lemon, crisp apple sweetness and smooth whisky warmth.
 
Ingredients

50ml Ballantine’s Finest 
25ml cloudy apple juice 
25ml fresh lemon juice 
15ml sugar syrup 
1 egg white 

 
To make it, add all ingredients to a shaker. Dry shake (without ice to build a silky foam. Add ice and shake again, double strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Add 2 dashes of Angostura bitters if you’re feeling fancy and garnish with a thin apple slice. 
 
Best for: Aperitif hour, dinner parties and sunny afternoons. 

You don’t need a cupboard full of ingredients to make a great drink. The Whisky Apple keeps things refreshingly simple: great whisky, great apple juice and plenty of ice. That’s it. 
 
Flavour profile: Crisp orchard apple, smooth vanilla and sweet honeyed oak. 
 
Ingredients 

50 ml Ballantine’s 10 Year Old 
150 ml apple juice (cloudy or clear) 

 
To make it, fill a tall glass to the brim with ice. Pour in your whisky and top with your favourite apple juice and stir gently to combine. Garnish with a fresh apple slice or a lemon twist. 
 
Best for: casual sipping, easy hosting 

Who says whisky has to be serious? Somewhere between a cocktail and a frozen dessert, the Apple Cider Slushie refuses to stay in its lane. Crisp apple cider, fresh lemon juice and ice come together to create a seriously refreshing serve with just the right amount of tang. 
 
Flavour profile: Tangy citrus, fizzy apple cider and an icy slushie bite. 
 
Ingredients 

30ml Ballantine’s Finest  
20ml Lemon juice 
20ml Sugar syrup 
100ml Apple cider 

 
To make it, add the lemon juice, sugar syrup, apple cider, and ice into a blender. Blend on high until smooth and slushy. Pour the blended mixture into a chilled glass. Drizzle Ballantine’s right over the top and garnish with an apple slice. 
 
Best for: warm evenings, garden gatherings 

Meet the Whisky Apple Mule: a fresh twist on the classic Moscow Mule. We’ve swapped the vodka for smooth Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel and thrown apple juice into the mix for good measure. 
 
The sweet caramel notes from Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel and crisp apple juice get on really well, while fiery ginger beer brings a little kick to keep things interesting. Easy to make, even easier to enjoy. 
 
Flavour profile: Fiery ginger, rich caramel, sweet apple juice and zesty lime. 
 
Ingredients 

50 ml Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel 
30 ml Apple juice 
100 ml Ginger beer 
10 ml Fresh lime juice 

 
To make it, fill a copper mug or tall glass with ice. Pour in Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel, apple juice, and lime juice. Top up with ginger beer and stir gently. 
 
Best for: evenings on the patio, spicy-drink fans 

If sunshine had a signature serve, this might be it. The Apple Spritz is light, crisp and refreshingly easy-going, but don’t let that fool you. There’s plenty of flavour under the hood. Whether you’re hosting a garden gathering, firing up the BBQ or just pretending summer’s arrived, this one’s got you covered. 
 
The sweet honey notes and gentle spice of our signature Scotch bring everything together in a serve that’s bright and balanced. Consider it a little taste of apple heaven, with a Ballantine’s twist. 
 
Flavour profile: Crisp orchard juice, light fizz and subtle honeyed spice. 
 
Best for: Brunch and outdoor summer BBQs. 

If your autumn or winter gathering need a hero, you’ve just found it. 
 
This Apple Cider Punch brings together sweet apple, warming spice and smooth Scotch whisky in one seriously crowd-pleasing serve.  
 
Flavour profile: Spiced cloves, cinnamon, sweet apple cider and citrus zest. 
 
Ingredients  

40ml Ballantine’s Finest  
500ml Cloudy apple juice 
500ml Apple cider 
Bouquet Garni (1 star anise, 6 cloves, 4 cinnamon sticks, 6 allspice berries) 
150ml Lemon juice 
Juice and zest of One Orange 
50g Brown Sugar 
1 Teaspoon of vanilla extract 
3 dashes Angostura bitters 

 
To make the mulled cider, add all the apple juice, apple cider, bouquet garni, lemon juice, juice & zest of orange, brown sugar and vanilla extract to your biggest pot. Simmer together on a medium heat until deliciously warm.   
 
Add the Angostura Bitters, Ballantine’s Whisky to a tall glass. Top with 120ml of the mulled cider. Stir and enjoy!  
 
Best for: Autumn parties, winter gatherings and holiday hosting. 

Some things become classics for a reason. The Old Fashioned is one of them. But every now and then, even a legend deserves a fresh twist. 
 
This version pairs Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel with apple brandy for a serve that’s rich, smooth and just a little unexpected. Sweet caramel notes meet crisp apple flavours for a serve that’s familiar in all the right ways, with just enough twist to stand out. 
 
Flavour profile: Spirit-forward, toasted oak, sweet apple cider notes and aromatic spice. 
 
Ingredients 

40 ml Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel  
20 ml apple brandy (or sweet apple cider) 
5 ml sugar syrup 
2 dashes Angostura bitters 

 
To make it, add all ingredients to a rocks glass. Add ice and stir with a spoon for 20–30 seconds until well chilled. 
 
Best for: after-dinner drinks, cooler evenings 

When the temperature drops and one blanket somehow turns into three, it’s probably time for a Hot Toddy. This cosy classic gets a fruity upgrade with warm apple cider, adding sweet orchard flavours to an already comforting serve.  
 
Flavour profile: Warming honey, baked apple, citrus lemon and aromatic cinnamon. 
 
Ingredients 

50 ml Ballantine’s Finest 
150 ml apple cider (or cloudy apple juice) 
1 tbsp honey 
15 ml fresh lemon juice 

 
To make it, warm apple cider in a small saucepan over low heat until hot (don’t boil). Pour Ballantine’s Finest, fresh lemon juice, and honey into a heatproof mug. Top with the warm apple cider and stir until the honey completely dissolves. 
 
Best for: cold weather, nights by the fire 

Which whisky works best with apple cocktails? 
Blended whiskies with soft honey, vanilla and gentle spice notes are especially versatile. Ballantine’s Finest is a strong all-round choice for fresher drinks and sours, while Ballantine’s 7 American Barrel work exceptionally well in richer, spiced or stirred serves like an Old Fashioned. 
 
Should I use apple juice, sparkling apple, or apple cider? 
It all depends on the style of drink you want to make! Apple juice gives smooth sweetness, sparkling apple mixers bring lift and fizz and hard or cloudy apple cider brings more body, acidity and seasonal spice. 
 
How do I make these for a crowd? 
For cold punch serves, scale up your mixers in a pitcher or punch bowl and add whisky just before serving over fresh ice. For hot toddies or warm cider punches, keep the spiced juice mixture warm on the stove over low heat and stir in the whisky off the heat so it stays smooth.