Mulled Cider
Dry cider warmed with apple, orange and whole spices, sweetened only just enough. Lighter than mulled wine and better with food.
Photograph credit: Wassail (4221293123) by Jeremy Tarling from London, United Kingdom · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Cider is more acidic and less tannic than red wine, so it takes spice differently: it needs less sugar and far less clove, which would bully it. As with any mulled drink the pan must stay below a simmer or the alcohol and the apple aroma both leave. Studding the orange with cloves rather than scattering them loose keeps the clove level under control — you can lift the whole thing out the moment it is enough.
Questions About Mulled Cider
How long does Mulled Cider take to make?
10 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking, plus 15 minutes of infusing, so allow 55 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 8.
Mulled Cider: Step by Step
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Stud the orange all over with the cloves and cut it in half.
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Put the cider, apple juice, sugar, studded orange, cinnamon, star anise, allspice and ginger in a large pan.
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Warm over a low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, until it steams — about 70°C / 158°F. It should never simmer.
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Keep it at that temperature over the lowest heat for 20 minutes. Take off the heat, add the apple slices, cover and infuse 15 minutes.
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Taste and add a little more sugar if your cider was very dry.
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Stir in the rum or Calvados if using, warm through for a minute, and ladle into heatproof glasses with a slice of apple in each.
Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.
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Tips That Matter
- A dry cider, not a sweet one. Sweet cider plus sugar plus spice is undrinkable.
- Lift the clove orange out once the spice level is right. It keeps getting stronger.
- It works just as well with alcohol-free cider and needs no other change.
Swaps and Variations
- If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.
Pairs Well With
Sausage rolls · Bonfire night · A sharp Cheddar
Keeping and Reheating
Refrigerated, strained, for 4 days. Reheat gently.
Mulled Cider Nutrition Facts
Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: where a line offers a choice of foods, only one of them is counted; optional ingredients are counted. The calories include 4 g of alcohol a serving, which is not part of the protein, carbohydrate or fat. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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