Mulled Apple Cider
Mulled Apple Cider with fresh pressed apple juice is the epitome of fall flavours at their best and most comforting. Fresh apple juice can be made into warm apple cider in just an hour. It’s naturally gluten free, vegan and a healthy drink choice full of vitamins for the holiday season.
Mulled apple cider is a drink that reminds me of cold nights, sharing fun with friends. In our catering days we served this drink at our cafe on the event when the town would light the Christmas lights for the season. It was an enjoyable yet cold evening for families and this drink would give a warm a stomach and bring a smile to people of all ages. We made it by the 15 litre batch. It was a lot of apples to juice and worth every minute to see those smiles.
Fresh apple juice is the basis of this recipe and while it can be made with juice bought from the store, it is not the authentic recipe I created 10 years ago. Fresh pressed apples are raw and unpasteurized, store bought juices are not, and besides fresh is always better.
As my diabetic friends already know, apple juice is full of fast acting sugar. It’s often used as a pick me up when sugars are too low. While mulled apple cider is all naturally occurring sugar, it’s still a lot of sugars in one glass.
Love apples? Caramel Apple Pie is delightful and Baked Apples with vegan Creme Brûlée is a showstopper recipe, easy to make and sure to please!
Mulled Apple Cider
Equipment
- juicer
- sauce pan
- infuser or loose tea sachet
Ingredients
- 8 apples, we used sweet (royal gala)
- ¼ lemon + 2 wheels
- 2 tbsp broken whole cinnamon bark
- 1 whole nutmeg
- 8 whole clove
- 1 tbsp whole allspice
- 2 whole star anise
Instructions
Juice apples and lemon
- Each juicer is different, prepare your 8 apples and ¼ lemon to fit through your juicer and juice everything.Sometimes I run the pulp through a second time to extract more juice from it, as the pulp seems watery still.
- Cut 2 wheels of lemon and place in sauce pan with spice sachet and all the juice.
- Measure the mulling spices and place in a large tea infuser or spice sachet or loose tea bag or cheesecloth pouch.
- If using a loose tea bag or cheesecloth, be sure to close the end and secure the bag.
- Place on stove and simmer, covered for at least an hour. The house will smell lovely. You can add 1 - 1½ cups of water at the beginning if you choose to add volume so when it reduces from simmering you still have lots of drink.Ladle into glasses and garnish with cinnamon sticks and lemon wheels. Serve warmMay be refrigerated for 3 days. remove spice sachet with tongs. Discard cooked lemon wheels and sachet.
