Mulled Cider: Christmas drink with a festive flavour
It’s almost Xmas Eve! Whaaaat? A year has happened since last Christmas and I feel like it’s been four years at least. I’m sensing I’m not the only one that feels that way, am I right? 😂 #2020
I’ve decided to take it easy for the Christmas season on the blog because I still need some rest from all the work I’ve done in the past couple of months. Too much work, plus a lot of complications along the way got me a bit drained.
I’m looking forward to start 2021, and I’ve been preparing some things and still have to take care of stuff before the year ends. I’m trying to stay positive throughout it all and I am really hoping to get a couple of days off while everyone is celebrating.
For Chirstmas Eve, I’m going to be in charge of the cooking at my Grandma’s this year and I am extremely happy for that. I have a couple of ideas, but nothing too fancy.
But this post is here to bring you a Mulled Cider recipe. Because I thought it would be a great drink for the holidays. Mulled cider is something I’d never done before. Mulled wine, yes, quite often…but cider, not really. So I wanted to try. It really surprised me.
Normally I would say I like wine better than any other alcoholic drink, but with the spices and flavours I’ve chosen, I think I may like mulled cider better than its wine version.
Not that you have to choose, but just in case you want to try it and are not quite sure, I really encourage you to do it.
I’ve always loved the comforting sense of calmness than comes from holding a warm drink in winter. It’s a very specific thing that lifts the spirit of anyone.
This obsession with tea blends got me to make a Christmas blend for a nice brand, which I am quite proud of having done.
Knowing that my idea of Christmas flavour and comfort is at other people’s home this year makes me be more connected to those people in some way, knowing they will find the same comfort I get when I hold a cuppa between my hands.
This mulled cider recipe is something similar. I really want to connect to you through a comforting warming feeling of Christmas. But really, you can do it any cold winter day.
If you try this recipe, please let me know. You can follow my accounts on instagram, facebook or twitter. I also have a Pinterest account and of course, the newsletter where you get all the posts I write delivered to your mailbox.
I really believe what makes cooking great is sharing the good feeling with others. Food is just another way for people to connect, and not just a way of nurturing our bodies. Food nurtures the soul, connects us with others and makes the spirit happy. Food is magic. Have fun, keep fooding and Merry Christmas 🙂
Mulled Cider
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 1 bottle natural cider
- 1 glass orange juice (2 oranges)
- 1/2 glass tangerine juice (2 tangerines)
- 1 lemon (juiced)
- 1/2 orange peel
- extra orange and lemon slices
Spice blend
- 1/3 tsp dried hibiscus flower
- 1 stick chinese cinnamon (or 3 regular cinnamon sticks)
- 1 leaf bay
- 3 cloves
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 3 pods cardamom
- 1/2 tsp pink peppercorns
Instructions
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Juice all the fruits and add to a pot with the cider.
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I've chosen natural cider because it has less alcohol and gas, so it's a bit healthier and, of course, make sure it has no added sugars...apple is sweet enough and we'll be adding more fruit.
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Bring to a boil and add the spices.
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Let it simmer for 30-40 minutes. In case you want to get rid of all the alcohol content, just make sure you simmer it for at least 2 hours uncovered but at a very low temperature. The more you cook an alcoholic beverage, the less alcohol content it has.
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Serve in glasses with some of the spices and some orange and lemon slices.
Recipe Notes
If you want, you can add other juices, like cranberry or grape.
Another good idea is adding dried apple slices to serve, or any other fruit like fresh cranberries or pomegranate. Make it beautiful and festive!
Here’s another Christmas recipe:
And a Christmas dessert:
If you love apples, try this pie, I love it!
