Easy
Fruity, Sweet & Spicy
3 Minutes
Highball Glass
Ingredients
The Apple Pie Vanilia is an easy-to-make highball built on Absolut Vanilia as the base spirit.
Imagine the flavor of a warm apple and ginger crumble, cobbler, or pie, and you’re right on point for the Apple Pie Vanilia.
This cocktail mixes vanilla-flavored vodka, apple juice, and ginger ale, served over ice for a long drink that tastes indulgent but is deceptively simple to make at home.
How To Make an apple pie vanilia COCKTAIL
Bar tools you’ll need
Jigger
Bar Spoon
Knife
How to Mix
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Prepare fresh Apple Juice by peeling your Apples, then using a juicer or blender. If you’re using a blender, check the FAQ at the bottom for a step-by-step. Save an Apple Wedge for garnish.
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Fill a highball glass with ice cubes.
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Use a jigger to measure and pour Absolut Vanilia into the glass.
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Use the jigger to measure and add your freshly made Apple Juice.
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Top up with Ginger Ale.
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Use a bar spoon to give the drink a gentle stir.
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Add a straw into the glass and garnish with an Apple Wedge.
All about the Apple Pie Vanilia cocktail
The Apple Pie Vanilia is a built highball cocktail made with vanilla-flavored vodka, apple juice, and ginger ale, served over ice in a highball glass.
Absolut Vanilia is the base spirit, giving the drink its signature vanilla note. You build it directly in the glass rather than shaking it, which keeps things bubbly and the method foolproof.
An Apple Pie Vanilia tastes like an apple and ginger pie. Its fruity and sweet-spicy. You’ve got the smooth vanilla character of Absolut Vanilia pairing with the crisp, fruity notes of apple juice. The ginger ale adds a sweetness and spiciness, as well as an effervescence that ties everything together.
There is no documented history for the Apple Pie Vanilia. However, Absolut Vanilia was launched in 2003, so it’s almost a definite that this drink appeared sometime shortly after.
A few small moves make a real difference here to your Apple Pie Vanilia!
- Make fresh apple juice
We say it again and we’re never going to stop saying it! If you want your drink to taste like the ones you get at your favorite bar, you need to make your own fruit juice.Use a blender or a juicer and make your own apple juice. Store-bought juice simply isn’t as a fresh and often contains preservatives so it can sit on the shelf. Fresh apple juice is just that…fresh juice!
Check out our article for tips on how to juice fruits for cocktails.
- Use a chilled highball glass
A narrow, chilled glass keeps the drink colder and helps the ginger ale stay effervescent longer. - Pack the glass with large, solid ice cubes
Use plenty of ice cubes (approx 1.5 inches or 3 cm) to keep the dilution slow. Wet, thawing ice waters the drink down fast. - Keep everything cold before you build
Chill your vodka, apple juice, and ginger ale ahead of time. - Add ginger ale last and stir gently
A rough pour or too much stirring costs you carbonation. A brief, gentle stir is all you need. Whatever you do, do not shake the ginger ale…ever! - Cut your apple garnish right before serving
Apples oxidize quickly once cut, so slice right before you need it.
- Bourbon Apple Ginger Ale
This variation replacing Absolut Vanilia with bourbon, offering a different profile but still evoking memories of Grandma’s apple pie. To make a Bourbon Apple Ginger Ale, mix 45 ml (1½ parts) bourbon, 90 ml (3 parts) apple juice, 120 ml (4 parts) ginger ale, and then squeeze some one fresh lime. Garnish with a cinnamon stick for the ultimate finish!
- Serve the Apple Pie Vanilia in a highball glass with plenty of ice. The tall glass gives the drink room to breathe and keeps the ice-to-drink ratio where it belongs.
- For the garnish, a simple apple slice works perfectly. If you want to dress it up a little, try a fan of apple slices with a cinnamon stick on the side. Cut the apple right before serving so it stays fresh and doesn’t brown.
- Serve with a straw for the perfect sipping experience.
- Looking for something more? Sprinkle some ground cinnamon on top and now you’ve got a cocktail that will rival that taste of any apple pie.
Apple Pie Vanilia FAQ
Vanilla vodka works so well with apple juice – see the recipe on this page!
The truth is vanilla-flavored vodka is extremely versatile. We love using Absolut Vanilia with apple juice, passion fruit, lemon juice, lime juice…in fact, it works with almost any juice you can imagine. Mix it up and create your own drink.
Yes, it most certainly is. In fact, there is a cocktail called the Vodka Ginger Ale, which is incredible. Vodka and ginger ale can also be used to create a variation of a Moscow Mule, ordinarily made with vodka and ginger beer.
Neither. An Apple Pie Vanilia is a highball, which means it’s built in the glass. That means no shaking, no blending, and no straining.
Once you’ve peeled your apples, cut them into quarters and remove the cores. Add them to a blender with about 1 cup of water for every 2 or 3 apples and blend until completely smooth. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to separate the juice from the pulp, using the back of a spoon to press and extract as much juice as possible.
