Impress Your Guests with This Autumnal Take on a Classic Summer Cocktail

Cider Cocktail Lead
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When you imagine a refreshing cocktail, a summery margarita or mint julep typically comes to mind. But in the autumn months, a seasonally appropriate drink, like a mulled wine or hard cider, can be just as satisfying. Mary Giuliani, one of N.Y.C.’s most sought-after caterers, shares a handful of easy-to-fix beverages in her new book The Cocktail Party ($21; amazon.com), a manifesto of party ideas, tips, menus, and recipes for everything from Cinco de Mayo to baby showers. After consulting the book's Party Calculator, which will ensure you never overshoot—or, even worse, under serve—your guests, try whipping up "Cider House Rules," her autumnal interpretation of a summer shandy, which blends beer and fresh apple cider for an unexpected and welcome thirst-quencher. Read on for the recipe.

Cider Cocktail 1
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Cider House Rules

Makes: 8 to 12 servings

Ingredients

6 12-oz bottles of your favorite beer
8 cups of apple cider (fresh if possible)
2 12-oz cans ginger beer
4 apples, for garnish

Directions

Combine all the liquids in a drink dispenser of your choice, stir slowly, and pour over ice into pilsner glasses. You can cut the apples into slices and then slice each one (see picture) and attach it to each glass as a garnish.

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From the book THE COCKTAIL PARTY by Mary Giuliani. Copyright © 2015 by Mary Giuliani. Reprinted by arrangement with Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

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