Hot Apple Cider Warm Spice (Printer-Friendly)
A cozy blend of apple and warm spices, perfect for chilly days and easy to make.
# What You'll Need:
→ Cider Base
01 - 8 cups apple cider (unfiltered if possible)
→ Spices & Flavorings
02 - 2 cinnamon sticks
03 - 5 whole cloves
04 - 2 star anise (optional)
05 - 1 orange, sliced
06 - 1 apple, thinly sliced
07 - 2 tablespoons brown sugar (adjust to taste)
08 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
→ Garnish (optional)
09 - Extra apple slices
10 - Cinnamon sticks
# How to Make It:
01 - In a large saucepan, combine the apple cider, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, orange slices, apple slices, brown sugar, and ground nutmeg.
02 - Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat, ensuring it does not boil.
03 - Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, allowing flavors to meld.
04 - Taste and adjust sweetness as needed, then remove from heat.
05 - Strain the mixture into serving mugs to remove spices and fruit pieces.
06 - Garnish each serving with fresh apple slices or a cinnamon stick if desired. Serve warm.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- It fills your entire home with an aroma so welcoming that guests will arrive before you even finish stirring.
- The whole process takes just thirty minutes, yet tastes like you've been tending it all day.
- It's naturally sweet, completely flexible, and honestly forgiving—perfect when you're learning.
- One pot feeds six people and costs far less than what coffee shops charge for their spiced versions.
02 -
- Never let the cider boil hard. A rolling boil will make it taste thin and one-dimensional. The slow, gentle simmer is what coaxes out all those layered flavors.
- If you find yourself without unfiltered cider, clear cider works perfectly well—don't let that stop you from making this. The spices do all the heavy lifting.
- Taste it before straining. I learned this the hard way after making an entire batch slightly too sweet because I didn't adjust beforehand.
03 -
- If you're making this ahead of time, the flavors actually improve over a few hours in the refrigerator. You can gently reheat it on the stove when you're ready to serve, and it will taste even more developed.
- Using a fine mesh strainer makes the difference between cider that's perfectly clear and one with tiny spice particles floating around. Both are delicious, but the clarity feels more intentional, more finished.
- Save the strained spices and fruit—they make a beautiful natural arrangement in a small bowl as part of your table decoration, and they smell wonderful for hours.