Infused with homemade mulling spices, Mulled Cider is a perfect drink to serve at a festive party or on any cozy evening! It fills your home with a rich, spicy aroma that is as warm and welcoming as the drink itself. You can make it with or without wine.
I was first introduced to mulled drinks a couple of years ago at a festive gathering hosted by our team member Naomi and her husband Scott. There, I experienced the comforting warmth of their homemade mulled apple beverage, a taste I’ll never forget.
The following year, when we hosted a Christmas get-together at our house, Scott brought over all the ingredients and showed me how to make it. In our home, we now call this mulled drink ‘Scott’s holiday drink’.
Inspired by this, I began creating my own homemade mulling spices and mulled cider, filling my home with delightful aromas. The best part? This recipe can be enjoyed with or without alcohol or wine for those who prefer a non-alcoholic option.
Table of Contents
- What is Mulled Cider
- Adding Wine to Mulled Cider
- Which Type of Apple Cider
- Mulling Spices: What You’ll Need
- How to Make Mulled Cider
- Recipe Tips
What is Mulled Cider
Hot mulled cider is a versatile drink, perfect for the fall and holiday seasons. It’s apple cider infused with a delightful blend of fall or holiday spices like cinnamon and cloves. The warm, spiced, cozy flavor is a favorite for many. You can also use pressed apple juice instead of apple cider, giving you the freedom to experiment and find your perfect blend.
It’s important to note the distinction between hot mulled cider and its alcoholic counterpart, mulled wine—also called warm sangria. While both are infused with mulling spices, the mulled wine recipe includes a full bottle of red wine and often incorporates orange and/or apples, sugar or honey, and liquors such as brandy, cognac, rum, and vodka. On the other hand, hot mulled cider is typically the non-alcoholic version, perfect for cozy evenings.
Why We Love ThisRecipe
- A comforting and festive drink. Thisbeverageis warm, naturally sweet, and mildly spiced, making it perfect for holiday entertaining.
- A quick and easy drink to make. Just add theingredientstogether and let itsimmer for 10 minutes!
- Can be made in advance.
Adding Wine to Mulled Cider
Scott adds wine to his holiday drink, and I love how wine gives it a nice, bold, deepflavorthatapple ciderdoesn’t have. As I’m not a huge alcoholic drinker myself,mulled wineis a bit too much to handle; however, this hotmulled ciderwith the addition of wine is perfect for me.
So, for adults, try adding some wine. I usually add1 cup (240 ml) of wine per ½ gallon (2 QT or 2 L) ofapple cider. If you prefer more alcohol, gradually increase the wine to 2 cups.
Types of Wine –A medium-priced (<$20) bottle of your favoritered winewould do. I use Malbec, which has rich and fruityflavors, pairing well with holiday spices. Many people recommend different wines: Zinfandel, Syrah/Shiraz, Merlot, Grenache, etc. So, go with what you enjoy since you will only use 1-2 cups. (240-480 ml).
Which Type of Apple Cider
Apple cider is the most essential ingredient for excellent hot mulled cider (of course!). You will need fresh apple cider with no added sugar or spices. Look for cloudy or unfiltered apple cider in the refrigerator section of the store.
DO NOT get “spiced” apple cider or Martinelli’s sparkling apple cider for this recipe.
Scott uses pressed apple juice for his holiday drink, and his recommendation is TreeTop’s pure pressed 100% apple juice, which is also cloudy and unfiltered.
Mulling Spices: What You’ll Need
My first mix of mulling spices was a jar from Target that Scott left me. Unfortunately, they no longer carry it. So, I had to look for alternatives. I bought a few brands of mulling spices (which were already mixes of spices) and added individual spices to create my own blend. I learned that all the store-bought mulling spices contained the four must-have spices in their blends.
Must-Have Spices
- Allspice berries,
- Cinnamon sticks
- Dried orange peels
- Whole cloves
Add-On Spices
- Cardamom pods – Highly recommend it!
- Star anise – Highly recommend it!
- Peppercorns
- Whole nutmeg
Shortcut for MakingMullingSpices
You can purchase premademullingspice to avoid buying individual spices to make your ownmullingspice, but I suggest adding my two recommendations (listed above).
Themullingspice mix I recommend comes in a bag orjarlike those shown above. If you buy these premademullingspices, you can addcardamom podsandstar anise—the two additional recommended spices.
Bonus: Make A Big Batch and Gift Your Friends and Family!
These Homemade Mulling Spices make a great holiday gift. This recipe yields three 4-oz jars, each containing 6 tablespoons of mulling spices.
You can write the instructions for preparing mulled cider or mulled wine on a craft tag for a nice finishing touch. Secure it with red and white baker’s twine or a holiday-themed ribbon. This mulling mix smells so good that you may want to make a few sachets or spice bags (using cheesecloth) to strategically hang over the holidays.
How to Make Mulled Cider
You can find the full printable/written recipe with step-by-step pictures in the Recipe Card below.
- Put the fresh apple cider (or apple juice), spices (either loose or in a cheesecloth), and wine (if desired) in a large saucepan.
- Bring it to a gentle simmer and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, strain if you used loose spices, and serve.
Recipe Tips
- Use whole or crushed spices instead of powdered spices to prevent the drink from becoming cloudy during simmering.
- Heat the mulled cider in a French/Dutch oven for a beautiful presentation and excellent heat retention. A slow cooker (crock pot) is also suitable.
- Warm the mixture slowly; ensure it simmers gently without boiling.
- You can also enhance the presentation and flavor by adding orange slices for citrus hints.
- Try adding dried cranberries or a splash of cranberry juice for additional flavor.
- Serve the drink with a cinnamon stick for garnish or candied lemon peel for an extra touch.
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Mulled Cider (With Wine) and Homemade Mulling Spices
4.60 from 5 votes
Infused with homemade mulling spices, Mulled Cider (with or without wine) is a comforting hot beverage to serve for a festive party or on any cozy evening! It fills your home with a rich, spicy aroma that’s as warm and welcoming as the drink itself.
PrintPin
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Cook Time: 15 minutes mins
Making Mulling Spices: 10 minutes mins
Total Time: 30 minutes mins
Servings: 4 (with some leftover)
Ingredients
- 2 QT fresh apple cider (½ gallon, 8 cups; must be unfiltered/cloudy and refrigerated; you can also use unfiltered apple juice; do not use sparkling cider or clear apple juice)
- 2 Tbsp mulling spices (homemade recipe below; 2 Tbsp of mulling spices per 2 QT of fresh apple cider)
- 1 orange
- 1 cup red wine (optional; increase the amount as you like)
- 4 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks (optional; for garnish)
For the Homemade Mulling Spices
- 8 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks (25 g)
- ¼ cup whole cloves
- ¼ cup allspice berries
- ⅓ cup dried orange peel
- 2 Tbsp star anise (6 pieces; 1 inch, 2.5 cm per piece)
- 2 Tbsp cardamom pods
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
Instructions
Gather all the ingredients. For the best results, read more about apple cider (or unfiltured apple juice) and red wine in the blog post.
Add 2 QT fresh apple cider (or unfiltered apple juice) to a 4-QT Dutch oven or large pot.
To the pot, add 2 Tbsp mulling spices (see the instructions at the end of the recipe for how to blend the mulling spices). You can also use a tea bag or cheesecloth to keep the spices together for easy removal later.
Cut 1 orange into thin slices and add them to the pot.
To Make the Kid-Friendly, Non-Alcoholic Version
Bring it to a simmer over low heat and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. DO NOT BOIL.
To Make the Alcoholic Version
Add 1 cup red wine either at the beginning (that‘s what I do) or at the end (so that the alcohol doesn’t evaporate too much).
Bring it to a simmer over low heat and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. DO NOT BOIL.
To Serve
Ladle the Mulled Cider into cups or mugs, straining out the spices with a fine-mesh strainer. Garnish each cup with an orange slice and one of the 4 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks and serve hot.
To Make Ahead
Mulled cider can be made 2 hours ahead; cover and store at room temperature, or chill up to 3 days. Reheat over medium-low heat before serving.
To Blend the Mulling Spices
Gather the spices. In this recipe, we use 8 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks, ¼ cup whole cloves, ¼ cup allspice berries, ⅓ cup dried orange peel, 2 Tbsp star anise, and 2 Tbsp cardamom pods. You can add nutmeg and peppercorn if you‘d like. Read more about these spices in the blog post.
To break up the cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, and star anise, put them in a large Ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
You can use a pestle and mortar, too. Once broken up, transfer to a large bowl (I use a mortar and a pestle).
Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl.
Stir to combine and divide evenly into 3 sealable jars while mixing the ingredients as some spices tend to settle at the bottom of the bowl. Store in an airtight container for up to one year.
Notes
Recipe by Namiko Chen ofJust One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
Nutrition
Calories: 289 kcal · Carbohydrates: 61 g · Protein: 1 g · Fat: 1 g · Saturated Fat: 1 g · Sodium: 22 mg · Potassium: 621 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 50 g · Vitamin A: 108 IU · Vitamin C: 29 mg · Calcium: 61 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Author: Namiko Hirasawa Chen
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: holiday drink
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