This sour apple cocktail is a vibrant, fruity and fun drink to sip on when five o’clock rolls around. Green apple is an exciting flavor to mix in drinks as it packs in a sour punch and a lotttt of flavor. Ending the work week with a fun cocktail is my favorite way to kick off the weekend. If you’re looking for a fun (yet easy) new drink to try, this one is for you!
Jump to Recipe
The post is all about how to make and enjoy a sour apple cocktail with only a handful of ingredients. This cocktail will only take 5 minutes to make and yields two servings. This cocktail is bright, citrusy, and a mix of sweet and sour.
What Does This Cocktail Taste Like?
Although green apple has a reputation for being sour, this cocktail is honestly more on the sweet and tangy side. Notes of lime stand out if you opt to use it along with the sweet lemon-lime flavor from the Sprite. This citrusy drink tastes like a muted green apple jolly rancher – not too sweet and not too sour.
Ingredients & Recommendations
Everything you need to make this cocktail consists of only 4 ingredients. This recipe is written for only two servings, but it can be increased to cater to as many guests as you have. Instead of making a bunch of single serve cocktails yourself, you can make a pitcher or punch bowl as an alternate option for guests to serve themselves.

Below are the ingredients you will need to make a sour apple cocktail:
- Tequila – I like to use 1800 Silver Tequila, but for this recipe I went with Clark & Sheffield Blanco Tequila to change things up.
- Sour Apple liqueur – I used Llords Sour Apple from Binny’s. It has bright notes of green apple but has a sweetness in the background that provides a really nice counterbalance.
- Lime juice – you can use the juice of fresh limes or if you like a little extra sweetness, Rose’s Sweetened Lime Juice is perfect. When I make this cocktail, I personally enjoy the sweetened lime juice. To finish it off, I like to throw a lime wedge into my cocktail after squeezing it into my drink. Using a combination of both is how I like it, but feel free to do what works for your taste!
- Sprite – this really adds the citrusy flavor and I highly recommend using it over tonic water or club soda. Because Sprite has that added sweetness and notes of lemon and lime, you will miss out on those if you swap it for something else. Using 7 Up or Sierra Mist in place of Sprite would be the best alternatives.

When You Should & Should Not Serve A Sour Apple Cocktail
If we’re being honest, I think a colorful drink just makes any occasion more fun. Have you ever noticed yourself out at a restaurant or bar and a drink catches your eye because of how it looks? Usually because it’s colorful or has impressive garnishes that grab your attention. If you know what I’m talking about, I bet I can also guess what your next thought is when seeing a drink like that, because we all think it…. “what is that? It looks so good!”. And that right there is the kind of reaction this sour apple cocktail has.
Usually, we see the most fun and colorful drinks during special holidays. Afterall, there’s nothing like a festive cocktail to get you in the holiday spirit. Playing on holiday colors and themes in your food and beverage offerings can really take your party to the next level. Not to mention, themed foods and drinks are memorable and will have guests thinking about your party year after year when that same holiday rolls around. Those are sweet memories that everyone will want to hang on to!
For these sour apple cocktails, there are many points throughout the year that are so fitting to serve these at a party. Some examples include:
- St. Patrick’s Day – The time of the year when we go full force on the green decor, food, drinks, and outfits. The vibrant green in this cocktail will fit right in at your next St. Patty’s Day party!
- Fall Gatherings – Apple picking season is when all the cinnamon spiced, apple flavors, and caramel drinks come out. To balance out the overly sweet drinks that come with the fall season, a green apple sour cocktail is a great alternative option that still fits the fall vibe.
- Halloween – The best time to bring out the “crazy” drinks is during Halloween. A bright green cocktail would make for a fun witches brew halloween cocktail! Add some gummy eyeballs or worms and you’ll have yourself a Halloween cocktail!
- Christmas – Red and green are the colors of Christmas so naturally, any green cocktail ought to be appropriate right? I’d say so!

How to Serve a Sour Apple Cocktail
Finishing off a cocktail with a few extra touches can really take it to the next level. It doesn’t have to be anything over the top or complicated. Simplicity is all you need! The most common way to finish off this drink is with a slice of fruit. It’s up to you if you prefer a lime wedge on the side of the glass or a Granny Smith Apple slice. You can also opt for a cherry too! In the cocktails pictured, both a lime wedge and a slice of apple were used. I love alllll the fruit that’s served with cocktails and will opt for extra on the side when I make a cocktail at home. You can add cocktail straws to each drink or rim the glasses with sugar for an extra nice touch also.

Ways to Customize This To Your Taste
The beauty about cocktails is that they can easily be customized based on taste. Here are a few recommendations on how to make this drink suited to your preferred taste buds.
- Swap equal parts of the tequila for vodka or white rum if you prefer one over the other!
- If you prefer a strong cocktail, use less Sprite and add in more tequila in its place
- If you don’t have sweetened lime juice or don’t enjoy the flavor of lime, you can omit this entirely or sub it for lemon juice instead
- Make this a martini instead by swapping out the tequila with vodka and omitting the sprite. Serve it in a chilled martini glass with a round slice of apple on top and enjoy!

If you try this cocktail recipe the next time you’re celebrating, let me know in the comments below what you thought! Are you a fan of sour cocktails or are you venturing out and giving this one a try?

Sour Apple Cocktail
Ingredients
- 3 oz sour apple schnapps liquor
- 3 oz tequilla
- 1 oz sweetened lime juice (or sub with regular lime juice)
- 4 oz sprite
- slice of apple or lime for garnish
- 2 cups ice
Instructions
- In a shaker, add 1 cup of ice and pour in the sour apple liquor, tequila and lime juice. Shake for a few seconds.
- Fill each cup with ice and divide the drink into each glass. Top with the sprite and garnish with a slice of apple or a lime wedge and enjoy!
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