Spice Up Apple Cider
Apple cider is a much-loved winter drink, warming and tasty. It's also a drink that's amenable to spicing up with other flavors, using apple as the base and building on it. In this recipe, you'll be able to add great flavor to your usual warm cup of apple cider and impress visiting friends with your special brew.
Ingredients
- 1 jug of non-cooled apple cider (the clearer kind that looks like apple juice, you can usually find it in the juice aisle of your local grocery store)
- 5 whole cloves
- 2-3 cinnamon sticks
- Regular cranberry juice (not fruit drink)
Steps
- Mix the apple cider with the cranberry juice in the pot. Save the containers. The ratio of apple cider to cranberry juice is 3:1, so if you put in a jug of apple cider, you will need to put in a third of a jug of cranberry juice.
- Add the cinnamon sticks.
- If you want extra cinnamon flavor, add a pinch of ground cinnamon to the cider. Although this step is optional, it creates a nice spicy balance to the flavor.
- Add the cloves.
- Simmer on low heat. Stir for a few minutes. Leave for about an hour, stirring occasionally then turn the burner off. Leave the pot on the stove overnight.
- The next morning, pour the mixture into the empty containers. Enjoy!
- Finished. To have a cup, pour the cider into a mug. Microwave it on high for one minute, plus or minus a few seconds. Drink with care as it will be very hot.
Tips
- This spiced up version is great for serving at holiday parties, children's events and whenever you have guests over.
- Dip the tip of your pinkie finger into the cup to make sure that it is cool enough to drink.
- It is also fun to drink the cider through a large cinnamon stick.
- To maintain freshness, put the cloves and cinnamon sticks in the bottle with the cider.
Warnings
- Do not use the darker kind of cider that needs to be cooled––it will not taste nice when used in this recipe.
- Use caution when heating, as the pot does get very hot!
Things You'll Need
- Large pot
- Wooden spoon
- Clean (sterilized) containers
- Funnel to aid pouring
- Mug and microwave for warming
