Friday Food for Thought—Mulled Apple Cider

Holiday party month is here! Don’t you love it? Family, food, friends, food, fun. More food. This month I’ll be sharing some tasty recipes for some of my favorite holiday drinks and appetizers, starting with mulled cider.

Over the years I’ve tried a lot of recipes for mulled cider. Some are too sweet, some are too spicy, but I finally found one suits our tastes perfectly.

1 gallon apple cider (or apple juice)
1 cup orange juice
1 cup pineapple juice
½ cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1/4 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons whole cloves
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
cinnamon sticks for swizzling (optional)

Combine all the ingredients in a large (5-quart) crock pot/slow cooker and simmer on low for 4 or 5 hours. This recipe makes about 40 half-cup servings. For a smaller crowd, I make half the recipe.

Don’t have a crock pot? This can just as easily be made in a large pot on the stove, but reduce the simmering time to 1 to 2 hours. Either way, your holiday guests will be greeted at the door by the scent of apples and spices, and they’ll soon be warming their hands on a cup of warm of cider.

Cheers!

Until next time,
Lee