Mulled Apple Cider

Mulled apple cider is a warm fall drink, perfect for removing the chill from your bones!  It’s an easy drink to make and yet, special enough to serve to company. 

With holiday parties on the horizon, it’s time to plan for some terrific food and drinks, and mulled apple cider is clearly a winning choice.

Mulled Apple Cider

Our winters are chilly around here, and I sip on hot tea day in and day out to keep warm. Miss Izzy, our lab puppy, loves to sit on my feet and that, too, helps keep me toasty. When I had a group of nearly 50 of my volunteer friends over for a coffee, we had the requisite pot of coffee brewing, a teapot filled with piping hot water and a pot of fragrant and delicious mulled apple cider.

It took only minutes to prepare, but my friends went back for seconds and more. It was a huge hit!

What is Mulled Cider???

The word mulled is a British term for wine heated with sugar and spices, which was most often served around Christmas. It has expanded to mean more than just alcoholic beverages, but hot drinks like this cider enhanced with fruit and spices.

Tips for Making Mulled Apple Cider

This mulled apple cider recipe is totally customizable to your tastes.

• Leave out the cloves or star anise if that’s your preference.
• A couple of lemon slices (or peel) can be added in addition to the oranges, but make sure to taste for sweetness.
• If you’d rather add honey to sweeten instead of sugar, go for it.
• And for an adult gathering, feel free to pour in some rum!
• Serve it up with some shortbread cookies or scones for a special treat.

I hope you enjoy this hot toddy as much as my friends and I did. Whip up some mulled apple cider for your next fall or winter gathering!

A couple of things you may need to make this mulled apple cider:

Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 7-1/4-Quart Round Dutch Oven
Wusthof Classic 6-inch Utility Knife 
OXO Non-Slip Cutting Board

More Hot Beverage Recipes You’ll Love:

• Easy Peppermint Hot Chocolate
• Italian Hot Chocolate 
• Unicorn Hot Chocolate from Love and Olive Oil
• Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate from Nutmeg Nanny

Add to Your Shopping List

• Kitchen staples: sugar
• Apple cider
• Cloves
• Star anise
• Cinnamon sticks
• Allspice
• Vanilla bean pod
• Naval orange

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Mulled Apple Cider

This jazzed up apple cider makes for a terrific autumn or winter drink.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Yield 16

Ingredients

• 1 gallon apple cider
• 2 cloves
• 2 star anise
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• A pinch of allspice
• 1 vanilla bean pod, split
• 1 naval orange, sliced
• 1/4 cup sugar, optional

Instructions

1. Pour apple cider into large pot. Add spices, vanilla bean and orange slices. Heat to just a simmer and let cook on low to allow the flavors to meld for about 15-20 minutes. Taste and add sugar if desired.
2. Serve hot.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1 mug
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 132 Total Fat: 0g Saturated Fat: 0g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 11mg Carbohydrates: 33g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 28g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 0g