Spiced Hot Apple Cider Recipe

Ingredients

Apple Cider Base

• 8 cups apple cider (2 quarts / about 2 L)
• ½ lemon zest (without pith)
• 1 orange (separated into zest and segments)
• ⅓ cup maple syrup

Mulling Spices

• 4 cinnamon sticks
• ½ tsp whole cloves
• 1 tsp allspice berries
• 10 – 12 cardamom pods
• ⅕ of a nutmeg (or ¼ tsp ground nutmeg)
• 1 inch ginger (sliced)
• ½ tbsp whole peppercorns (optional)
• 1 star anise (optional)

Optional Brown Sugar Cinnamon Whipped Cream

• 1 cup chilled heavy cream (about 240 mL)
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 generous pinch sea salt
• 3 – 4 tbsp brown sugar (adjust to taste)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Optional Alcoholic Additions & Garnish

• 1 cup gold rum (optional, increase up to 1 ½ cups if desired)
• Apple slices (for garnish)
• Orange slices (for garnish)
• Cinnamon sticks (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Measure and place the cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, allspice berries, cardamom pods, nutmeg, peppercorns, and optionally star anise in a bowl. Slice the ginger into thick pieces. Optionally place all spices except cinnamon sticks into a metal spice infuser or cheesecloth pouch.
2. Peel ½ lemon to obtain only the zest, avoiding the bitter pith. Repeat with the orange, zesting and then carefully removing the white pith to keep just the orange segments.
3. In a large pot, add apple cider, lemon zest, orange zest, orange segments, all spices including cinnamon sticks, and the sliced ginger.
4. Warm the mixture over medium-high heat until it reaches a simmer. Stir frequently to prevent burning. Once it starts to boil, cover with a lid and reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
5. Allow the cider to simmer gently for 30 minutes, periodically checking to avoid boiling and adjusting heat as necessary.
6. After simmering, remove from heat and let the cider cool until safe to handle. Meanwhile, slice fresh oranges and apples for garnish.
7. Strain the cider to remove all spices, zest, and orange segments, avoiding squeezing the segments to prevent bitterness. Stir in maple syrup gradually, tasting to achieve desired sweetness.
8. While still warm, stir in the gold rum or alternative spirit of choice for a spiked cider.
9. Place fresh apple and orange slices in mugs or glasses. Pour warm cider over the fruit and garnish with cinnamon sticks or stirrers.
10. Just before serving, whisk the chilled heavy cream with vanilla extract, sea salt, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Top cider with whipped cream if desired and garnish with apple slices and cinnamon stick.

Notes

• For slow cooker preparation, combine all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for about 2 hours. Reduce ginger and black pepper if sensitive to spice.
• You can use a whole orange instead of zest and segments, but removing pith avoids bitterness.
• Blood oranges can be substituted for a unique flavor and slight pink color.
• Freshly grated nutmeg using a microplane is preferable to ground nutmeg for more aroma.
• Alcohol alternatives include whiskey, bourbon, or brandy. Non-alcoholic options are rum extract or non-alcoholic rum or whiskey.
• Adjust the amount of maple syrup to your desired sweetness level.
• Whipped cream is best made immediately before serving as it is not stable for long periods.