SPICED WARM APPLE CIDER

A warm sweet unfiltered apple juice mulled together with cinnamon, cloves, fennel, & allspice berries.

Apple cider is one drink that always reminds me of the holidays. It was never something that was made at home when I was younger but it was what we always saw kids enjoy in the movies during the winter months, that and hot chocolate!

So here's my recipe for hot mulled apple cider that I make over the holidays every year.

Ingredients

• 4L unfiltered apple juice • 1 - 2L water, depending on how sweet you want the end product

• 1/2 - 3/4 stick cinnamon • 1/4 teaspoon allspice berries

• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds

• 1 - 2 star anise pods

• 6 - 8 whole cloves

• 1 navel orange, sliced

Directions

In a large deep thick bottomed pan combine all ingredients except the orange & cook on medium heat until simmering, lower heat, cover, & simmer for another 20-30 minutes. Avoid boiling the mixture as this will concentrate the sugars in the juice and make it overly sweet.

Place the sliced oranges in the dish you are serving the mulled cider in and pour the hot cider over it so the oils & juice in the orange infuse into the cider as well. Serve hot.

Extra Tips

• If you're not a fan of citrus you can leave out the orange slices and it will taste great without them. You can even swap them out for grapefruits. Just make sure not to replace them with lemons or limes. The sourness from the lemons & limes would take away from the sweetness of the apple juice.