Image courtesy Southern LivingEspecially since today, September 30th, is National Mulled Cider Day.
But the weekend will be here soon, and if it's not scorching where you live you may want to make a batch. You may want to go apple or pumpkin picking with some friends and then invite them over afterwards for a nice warm mug of mulled cider.
The drink is simple to make.
You'll need:
fresh cider
whole cloves
cinnamon sticks
whole allspice
cheesecloth
large stock pot
brown sugar
ladle
mugs
Directions:
Pour one gallon of fresh cider into a large pot on the stove or into a crock pot or slow cooker.
Add a half cup of brown sugar.
Place 1 teaspoon of whole cloves, 1 teaspoon of whole allspice, and 3 cinnamon sticks on a square of cheesecloth and tie up. Add to the pot.
Heat the cider to a boil, stirring regularly. Leave the pot uncovered so that you and your family or guests can enjoy the warm, delicious aroma.
Once the cider boils, lower the setting to simmer for at least another 15 minutes to allow for thorough infusion of the spices. Stir occasionally.
Remove the spices from the pot and ladle hot mulled cider into mugs or other glasses designed for hot beverages.
Add a Splash of rum or brandy for a perfect Afternoon Delight!
Picture and recipe courtesy, GoDine UK
You'll need:
2 bottles of medium-bodied red wine
1 cup sugar and more to taste
6 cinnamon sticks
15 cloves
grated nutmeg
2 oranges
Push the cloves into the skin of the oranges, then quarter the oranges
Pour the wine into a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan and warm over a medium heat. Add the sugar, spices and clove studded oranges. Do not let the wine simmer and as soon as it starts to do so turn the heat down low as you don’t want it to boil or it will lose its alcohol content! (This is an important bit of EntertainingMom information!)
Taste for sugar and add more until it tastes right for you.
Keep it steaming over a low heat for about an hour or so to allow the spices to infuse.
You can also add:
Star anise, bay leaves, mace, ginger, cardamom, lemon, lime, brandy.
I just love a nice Mulled Wine. I love the feeling it evokes, the new cooler weather, the upcoming Holiday Seasons and of course, the wonderful memories of my youth...
As many of you know my Grandparents lived in Europe for most of my life. The had a lovely home (which I showed you some posts earlier) in Oxfordshire. They had lavish parties in all their homes, but I remember fondly their Christmas celebrations in England. I remember the warmth of the people and the food and the mulled wines. Christmas was such a different, and lovely, experience across the pond. But a memory that I will carry with me always was that of when I was just 12 or 13. There was a nice family of boys that lived in a converted barn just next door. A family 0f 8 boys! Each lovelier and more polite than the next. And there was a cousin who came to visit. And I was invited to join them to go caroling in the village. I had never gone caroling and was happy to join them. It's such a happy thing to do. You're happy singing and the people who open their doors for your are genuinely happy to see you.
Once we had done our caroling we made our way back to my grandparents' house. And the children joined the adults. And The Cousin, who was much older than I, was perhaps 14 or 15 and poured me my first mulled wine. (It was not uncommon for children, especially teenagers to have a small amount of wine at times in Europe.) And I remember how wonderful and lovely and warm it tasted. And we chatted. And this cousin was really sweet. And really good looking. And at the end of the night, as he left with his cousins, each nicer and more polite than the next, The Cousin thanked me for keeping him company and planted a sweet little kiss ever so gently on my cheek. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. Swooooooooooon! And I haven't washed that cheek as long as I have lived! Ok, I have... but the memory of it all will last a lifetime. And my fondness for mulled wine still is strong!