"mulled cider" news and stories

Happy National Hot Mulled Cider Day!

This eternally popular quaff dates back beyond 55 B.C., when the Romans arrived in England to find villagers drinking an apple-based beverage. But stateside, cider was somewhat of an accidental success: English settlers of colonial times had trouble growing expensive grains necessary for traditional brews, so instead relied upon the abundance of apple trees to create cider, which soon became one of America's most popular drinks.

For a simple yet soul-warming recipe, we suggest that of Elana's Pantry (pictured above), flavored with cinnamon, cloves and orange -- it's the perfect seasonal antidote to the approach to winter.

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Sure, it may be cider season, but the yen for one glass can lead to a large leftover jug in the fridge.

We all know that while Thanksgiving can be one of the nicest days of the year, it can also be a trying one. Many of us spend the day with relatives we don't usually mingle with, or at least the number of family members we have to deal with on Turkey Day increases dramatically. Uncle Freddie and his dirty jokes, your nephew who can't stop talking about how much money he makes, the mother-in-law with the annoying laugh. Some people deal with this by smiling a lot, some deal with it by avoiding some people, and some eat a lot. What do others do?

Booze!

OK, it's probably not a great idea to get sloshed while you're trying to cook and carve a turkey, but holidays were made for cocktails too. Maybe you can have this after all of the big work is done, or later after dinner is done and it's coffee and cocktail and talking-time.

With all the holidays coming up, we here at Slashfood want to help you celebrate and share some recipes with you. Hot or cold they're all good, and just the thing to put you in a party mood. Some of my favorites are hot drinks like mulled cider with rum and mulled wine. They're easy to make and you can control how strong they are, so you don't get obliterated at the beginning of your party, or fall asleep on your guests late at night.

Mulled Wine
Buy mulling spices or use a mix of cinnamon, clove, allspice, nutmeg, and some citrus zest or slices of any type. Take a bottle of inexpensive but decent red wine and pour into a pot, add the mulling spices and zest, bring to a low simmer for five minutes, then strain into a mug. To control the strength and make the wine a bit less potent you can add some fruit juice such as orange, apple, cranberry, pomegranate, etc. before warming it up.

Mulled Sweet Apple Cider with Rum
Buy mulling spices or use a mix of cinnamon, clove, allspice, nutmeg, and citrus zest or slices. Add to sweet apple cider in a pot and bring to a simmer for five minutes then strain, pour into a mug and add a shot of rum of your preference.