Can you believe it’s the last day of September? With October knocking on our door, it’s time to fully embrace all those cool weather treats we’ve been waiting for. One of our favorites? Mulled cider! It’s not just for the holidays anymore. While you can go the traditional route with cinnamon and cloves, there are plenty of other ways to spice (and spike!) your cider. Check out our traditional recipe, plus two unexpected upgrades that will have you enjoying the toasty, and tasty beverage all fall long. (If you’re looking for more ways to enjoy cider, we have 21 sweet and savory recipes to enjoy.)
Ingredients:
– 1 pint cider
– 2 cinnamon sticks
– 1 teaspoon whole cloves
– 1 teaspoon whole allspice berries
– 1 teaspoon cardamom pods
Instructions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to heat to low.
3. Let simmer for 15 minutes before serving.
4. Serve directly from the saucepan or strain into mugs.
*You can leave the extra on the stove on low heat until the cider is gone.
The key with this version is to give the spices time to steep in the cider. To get an even more intense flavor, you can cover the pot while the cider is simmering.
Serve garnished with a cinnamon stick! If you want to experiment with other flavors, you can also include star anise, freshly grated nutmeg, or coriander seeds. The star anise pods would also make a pretty garnish.
Ingredients:
– 1 pint cider
– 2 earl grey tea bags or 2 teaspoons loose Earl Grey tea leaves
– 3-4 lemon slices
Instructions:
1. Combine cider and lemon slices in a small saucepan over medium high heat.
2. Bring to a boil, and add loose tea leaves or tea bags.
3. Steep tea for 3-5 minutes, following package instructions, then remove. If using loose tea leaves, use a tea ball, or strain the cider through a fine mesh sieve.
4. Serve from the saucepan and garnish with the lemon slices.
*You can leave the extra on the stove on low heat until the cider is gone.
If you don't like Earl Grey, you can use another flavored tea like a spiced chai or a sweet orange tea. For those swap out the lemon slices for orange slices.
The possibilities for tea combinations are endless!
Ingredients:
– 1 pint cider
– 1-inch pice of ginger sliced
– 2-3 rosemary sprigs (depending on length)
Instructions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to heat to low.
3. Let simmer for 15 minutes before serving.
4. Serve directly from the saucepan or strain into mugs.
*You can leave the extra on the stove on low heat until the cider is gone.
Be forewarned that rosemary is a strong, savory flavor. It balances out the sweetness of the cider well, but if you're unsure of how much you like rosemary, start by adding fewer sprigs. You can always make it stronger in the next batch.
Serve with a rosemary sprig.
Pour directly from the saucepan in to your mugs.
If you want to take things even further, you can spike each of these versions. For the traditional mulled cider add whiskey or dark rum, for the Earl Grey tea version add gin or brandy, and for the rosemary ginger add gin or rum. Which of these three recipes will you be trying?
There's nothing better than a mug of warm cider on a chilly fall day!
