Holiday Spiked Apple Cider
When fall rolls around, I start getting excited because that means the holidays and time for spiked apple cider! I’ve refined this recipe over the best of a decade, and my family awaits it every Thanksgiving and Christmas. What’s more, the peppery aroma of mulled spices and cider fills the house, greeting our guests with wafts of this smoky, seasonal beverage. It's a sure-fire way of jump-starting the festivities and a wonderful prelude to the holiday dinner. You’ll turn to this recipe every holiday to make special memories for your loved ones!
Ingredients
- 2 bottles + 52 oz. of Trader Joe’s Spiced Apple Cider (you can buy three bottles. You almost use them all)
- 1 mulling or spice bag (4 x 6”), made of cotton or cheesecloth, available on Amazon
- 8 whole cinnamon sticks
- ¼ cup whole allspice berries
- ¼ cup whole cloves
- 6 x 1 ¼” chunk of fresh ginger root
- Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum or other rum to spike.
Directions
- Step 1 Prep the ingredients. To begin, grate the peel off the ginger and place the whole root in the mulling bag. Next, measure out the cloves, allspice, and cinnamon sticks, and insert them into the mulling bag. Then, close the drawstring on the mulling bag and tie a double knot to secure the ingredients inside.
- Step 2 Ready the cider. Pour 2 bottles of the cider or as much as will fit in a six-quart stockpot. Turn up to high heat. Put the mulling bag in the cider (as seen in the photo). Cover the stockpot and bring to a boil, while reducing to a simmer over a gentle boil. Watch the cider so it doesn’t boil over, but you don’t need to be wary of burning since the mulling bag should float on top.
- Step 3 Mulling the cider. As the cider boils, the volume will be cut in half. So, through the process, when the liquid has boiled down, add any remaining liquid of the 2nd bottle and 52 oz (6 ½ cups) of the third bottle of cider. Keep boiling until the flavors coalesce and the spices are pungent. Taste after an hour. It may take more than 1 ½ hours to get the smoky balance that you want. Note that the cider shouldn’t taste watery or weak, and the peppery flavor of the cloves and allspice should be pronounced over the apple leanings. Also, the faster the boil, the faster the cider will boil down, especially if you boil the cider uncovered.
- Step 4 Serve the cider. Serve hot and spike with a shot of rum in each mug—if the adults are drinking alcohol. Be careful to not add too much rum, as you want the flavor of the cider to ring through.
- Step 5 Note: if you are transporting the cider, just let it cool and use a funnel to pour it into the original bottles to reheat later. Also, if you cannot find Trader Joe’s cider, you can buy another cider, but depending on its density, you may need to either add a second mulling bag to double your spice count or boil down your cider longer.
This robust, smoky cider has long been a staple in my family’s celebration of the holiday season. Come November, I trek to Trader Joe’s to stock up on their cider as a base. But it’s my mulling of spices that lends a density of flavors. Below follows a photo of Trader Joe’s Spiced Cider.
Nutritional Information: serving size: 1.4 cups, servings per recipe: 9, calories: 359, total fat: 0.7 g., saturated fat: 0.13 g., cholesterol: 0 g., sodium: 23 mg., total carbohydrate: 64 g., dietary fiber: 1.1 g., total sugars: 54.6 g., protein: 0.6 g., calcium: 45 mg., iron: 0.7 mg., potassium: 574 mg., magnesium: 28 mg., vitamin D: 0 IU, vitamin C: 5.1 mg., vitamin B-1: 0.12 mg., folate: 0 µg.