Best Merrys Mulled Cider Recipes

MULLED CIDER

Steps:

• Place the cinnamon stick, cloves, allspice and bay leaf on a double thickness of cheesecloth; bring up corners of cloth and tie with kitchen string to form a bag. , In a large saucepan, combine the apple cider, juices, orange zest, brown sugar, salt and spice bag. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer mixture for 30 minutes to blend flavors. Discard spice bag. Strain cider mixture and stir in brandy if desired. Serve immediately.

MULLED CIDER

Steps:

• Place all ingredients but the bourbon in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until the mixture is just below a boil. Cover, remove from the heat and let steep 5 minutes.
• At that point, you will notice that the allspice and cloves have floated to the top; remove and discard them. Pour a tablespoon of bourbon, if desired, into each of six mugs and pour the cider mixture over it. Spoon a few cinnamon pieces into each mug, and serve immediately.

MULLED CIDER ("WASSAIL")

Steps:

• Combine all of the ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low; simmer for 20 minutes. Ladle into mugs and serve warm. If you want to strain off bits of spices and fruit that are floating in the cider, you can pour the liquid through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth before serving.

HOW TO MAKE MULLED CIDER IN THE SLOW COOKER

Steps:

• Fill the slow cooker. Pour the cider or juice into a 5-quart or larger slow cooker.
• Add the fresh ingredients. Cut the orange into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Cut the ginger into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Add both to the slow cooker.
• Add the spices. Add the cinnamon sticks. Add the cloves and optional spices. To make it easier to serve, place the cloves and spices in a tea ball first, or place in a double layer of cheesecloth or paper coffee filter, gather it up into a sachet, and tie closed with kitchen twine.
• Slow cook the cider for 4 hours. Cover the slow cooker and cook until the flavors meld, 4 hours on LOW. (If there are clumps of spices floating at the top that you wish to remove, strain the cider through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a large pot.) Keep warm and serve in mugs garnished with additional orange slices if desired.

HOT MULLED CIDER

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Pour into mugs and serve.

MULLED CIDER

Steps:

• Pour the cider, Calvados, apple juice and sugar into a large saucepan, and gently heat to mull.
• Add the orange zest and spices, bring to a simmer, then turn down and keep on a low heat for 20-30 mins. Ladle into glass mugs to serve.

SLOW-COOKER MULLED CIDER

Steps:

• Put the cardamom pods on a cutting board. Lay the flat of a chef's knife over them and gently smack the flat of the knife to lightly crush and crack the pods. Add the cardamom pods, peppercorns, cinnamon sticks and allspice berries to a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Toast the spices, shaking the pan often, until very fragrant, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer the cinnamon sticks into a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker. Tie up the remaining spices into a cheesecloth bundle, and add that to the slow cooker as well. (If you don't have cheesecloth, you can use tea infusers or loose tea bags. You could also put the spices directly into the slow cooker, then strain the mixture as you serve.)
• Cut the piece of peeled ginger in half lengthwise and smash each piece by laying the flat of the knife over it and smacking with the heel of your hand. (At this point, put the slow cooker in the spot where you'd like to serve it, because it will become difficult to move once you've added all of the liquid.) Add the ginger, lemon, orange, salt and apple cider to the slow cooker. Cover, and cook on high for 3 hours.
• Reduce the heat to warm. Add the rye whiskey and vanilla and stir to combine. You can leave the cider on warm for several hours, allowing guests to serve themselves, adding additional citrus slices and cinnamon sticks to their mugs, as desired.

MULLED CIDER WITH FALL SPICES

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring cider, lemon zest, and spices to a boil; cover, and remove from heat. Let steep at least 20 minutes (or up to 4 hours). Ladle carefully into mugs, leaving most of the solids behind.

SLOW COOKER MULLED CIDER

Steps:

• Put all the ingredients except the calvados in a slow cooker and cook for 1 hr on high or up to 4 hrs on low.
• Just before serving, stir in the calvados. Ladle into heatproof glasses or cups to serve.