A festive beverage bursting with fall flavors
This mulled cranberry-apple cider tastes fantastic served hot or cold, and can be brewed especially for Halloween festivities or made throughout the fall and winter, for a treat. The trick is to slowly heat the cider with the spices and citrus zest, so all of the flavors can steep. It’s a nice, warming drink to sip while greeting trick-or-treaters, or to have on a frigid fall evening. The cranberry juice adds some tartness to the sweetness of the drink, so it’s not overly sweet.
Witches Brewed Mulled Cranberry-Apple Cider can be served with or without alcohol. Rum or brandy can be added at the end, if desired.
Witches Brew - Mulled Cranberry-Apple Cider
Ingredients
- 1 quart apple cider freshly squeezed apple juice may be used (4 cups) or unfiltered apple juice
- 1 quart fruit juice sweetened or naturally sweetened -no refined cane sugar (4 cups) or cranberry juice
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or coconut palm sugar or sucanat
- 4 allspice berries or 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 4 whole cloves or 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 6 star anise pods
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 1 lemon zested, white pith removed - see instructions
- 1 orange zested, white pith removed - see instructions
- 1 1/2 cups spiced rum or dark rum or brandy - optional
Instructions
- Remove the peels from the citrus with a vegetable peeler a strip at a time, remove any of the bitter white pith by scraping off with the side of a knife.
- Add all of the ingredients to a large pot, and simmer over low heat, covered, for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and pour through a strainer into a large bowl or glass pitcher. Add rum or brandy if using. Serve immediately or reheat to serve, or cool and chill in the refrigerator and serve cold. Each glass can be garnished with a cinnamon stick and apple slices if desired.
Nutrition Information
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