Ree Drummond Gets Fall Festivities Started With A Twist On A Classic Cocktail

It's officially the fall season, and that means that it's time for everyone's favorite thing: delicious fall recipes. While the summer is all for fresh and fizzy drinks, the fall is for sweet, warm drinks that feel as cozy as curling up with a good book on a rainy day. Ree Drummond — who's behind The Pioneer Woman blog and "The Pioneer Woman" on Food Network — suggests a genius take on margaritas, fully embracing the fall with an apple cider twist on the classic cocktail.

The classic recipe calls for tequila, triple sec (orange liqueur), and fresh lime juice. It usually has a salt rim that complements the strong tequila flavor in the perfect way, and a couple of lime wedges for garnish. Drummond's recipe keeps the tequila, and the triple sec, but adds orange juice and apple cider to give the cocktail a fall feel. Instead of lime wedges, you can use slices of a sweet red apple variety like red delicious and gala. As for the rim, you wouldn't want salt in an apple cider drink. Instead, the recipe calls for a sugar rim made with sugar, apple pie spice, and maple syrup (this rim also works for fall-themed pumpkin beers). For the sweet-toothed, there are no more ingredients. But if this sounds a bit too sweet for your taste, Drummond suggests adding a splash of soda water for a more balanced flavor.

While we love Drummond's recipe, part of the fun of making your own cocktails is experimenting. If you have time on your hands, try using different ingredients to infuse your margaritas with a taste of autumn. To garnish, for instance, you could use cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, ginger or cloves. Any of these will kick up the cocktail to the next level. You can also substitute the orange juice for other more fall-appropriate juices like cranberry or pear. The choice mostly depends on the flavor profile that you want. Both cranberry and pear could be very sweet, but they can also be fresh if diluted in other liquids. Play around with proportions until you get your desired result. 

And if you're one to want pumpkin spice-flavored everything as soon as the air turns cold, don't be afraid to add some pumpkin pie spice to the recipe. You can either use this for the sweet rim, or you can sprinkle it on top of the cocktail for a more powerful flavor. For a more herbal effect, add fresh rosemary to the cocktail at the end. If you want to get very fancy, carefully burn the top of the rosemary, and allow it to smoke for a few seconds. This will give your cocktail a smoky flavor that will be hard to imitate. Finally, don't be afraid to pair up your fall drink with delicious desserts like an apple or pear galette.