We’ve had a few days of really cool weather around here and that made me crave warm things like soup and hot chocolate and hot apple cider. This recipe for Hot Mulled Cider really hits the spot!
Do you know what mulled means in reference to food? I thought I knew, but I looked it up just to be sure. Mulled means to heat, sweeten, and flavor with spices for drinking. It’s a very popular thing to do with wine or ale. Go ahead, mull it over.
This recipe came from a cookbook I received as a wedding gift. I won’t tell you how long ago that was, but two of our kids are in college and we didn’t have any at that time! Any who, I’ve used this recipe a few times when I had a craving for hot cider. It’s also great for parties, special dinners, or just to give as a treat.
Hot Mulled Cider
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 quarts apple juice
1 and 1/2 teaspoons whole cloves
1 teaspoon whole allspice
2 pieces of stick cinnamon
1 orange, sliced or quartered*
Mix all ingredients together in a crock pot.
You can tie all the spices in a piece of cheesecloth or put in a tea strainer. If you leave them loose, make sure to strain the cider before you drink it!
Cover and set on low temperature for 2 to 8 hours. If you are in a hurry, you can heat this in a pot on the stove and pour it into a crock pot to keep warm. Serve warm and enjoy. Here, I filled a mug for you and one for me!
Put leftovers (if you have any) in a pitcher and store in the fridge. This way you can reheat individual mugs for yourself! I also considered freezing this, but I haven’t tried it yet, so I don’t know how it would taste. I do know that the longer it sits, the better the flavor. I guess that’s what “mulling” does for you!
*The original recipe called for 1/2 of an orange. I like the flavor better when I use the whole thing. Also, I slice it if I want it to look really pretty (parties, etc.), but quarter it when I’m in a hurry to drink it!!