Spiced Mulled Apple Cider

Mulled cider is the rare seasonal drink where the homemade version is not a compromise but an upgrade. Coffee shops sell a cup of it for four or five dollars. A half gallon of cider costs about the same and serves eight, and the spices that go into it are whole, cheap and reusable.

Whole spices are what separate this from cider with cinnamon shaken into it. Ground spices cloud the liquid, sink, and turn the last cup gritty. Cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and star anise release their oils slowly into hot liquid and lift right back out when they are done, and the same cinnamon sticks can be rinsed, dried and used again for a second batch.

The strip of orange peel is the part people skip and shouldn’t. Cider is sweet on its own, and citrus oil is what keeps a pot of it from tasting flat by the second cup. Peel the strip with a vegetable peeler and leave the white pith behind, which is where the bitterness lives.

Spiced Mulled Apple Cider

A half gallon of cider warmed with cinnamon sticks, cloves, orange peel, and star anise — one pot that fills the house and stretches into four other things.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

  

• 8 cups apple cider unfiltered if available
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 6 whole cloves
• 2 star anise pods optional
• 1 strip orange peel about 3 inches, white pith removed
• 1 slice fresh ginger about 1/4 inch thick, optional
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar or maple syrup optional, only if your cider is tart
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
• 8 cinnamon sticks for stirring
• 8 thin apple or orange slices for garnish

Instructions

 

• Pour the cider into a large pot or a slow cooker.
• Add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise if using, orange peel, ginger if using, and salt.
• On the stove: bring to a bare simmer over medium heat, then reduce to low and hold for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not let it boil – boiling drives off the aromatics and concentrates the sugar until the cider turns syrupy.
• In a slow cooker: cover and cook on LOW for 2 to 3 hours, or on HIGH for 1 hour, then switch to WARM and leave it for the rest of the evening.
• Taste at the 25-minute mark. Add brown sugar only if the cider is genuinely tart, and stir in the vanilla off the heat if you are using it.
• Strain out the whole spices and the orange peel, or lift them out with a slotted spoon.
• Ladle into mugs and garnish each with a cinnamon stick and a thin slice of apple or orange.

Notes

Buy whole spices from the bulk bin or the international aisle rather than the baking aisle. The same cinnamon sticks and star anise often cost a third as much for several times the quantity.

Rinse and dry the cinnamon sticks after straining. They hold enough flavor for a second batch.

Unfiltered cider has more apple flavor and body than clear apple juice, but juice works in a pinch – add an extra tablespoon of lemon juice to give it some structure.

One pot does more than one job. Reduce leftover mulled cider by half over medium heat and it becomes a glaze for pork or roasted carrots. Use it cup-for-cup in place of the liquid in a pot roast, or in pancake batter and quick breads.

For a party: keep it in a slow cooker on WARM with the spices still in. It holds for hours and the flavor deepens.

To make it a cocktail, add 1 1/2 ounces of dark rum, bourbon, or spiced rum per mug after straining, off the heat.

Freeze extra cider in an ice cube tray. The cubes chill iced cider without watering it down, and they go straight into a pan sauce.

Keyword Autumn, fall spices, holiday drink, mulled apple cider