Hump Day: Hot, Spiked (or not) Apple Cider

Sunday was a chilly, rainy day in San Francisco.  It was a perfect opportunity to stay in my jammies, curl up on the couch and watch bad Lifetime movies anxiously await the Packer night game!  As the night drew near, I remembered a purchase I made at Whole Foods earlier in the week that would make the perfect beverage to serve at game time...R.W. Knudsen Organic Mulling Spices! While you can certainly make this from scratch, who wants to go to the store to buy spices and mulling ball when it's cold and rainy outside?  No one, that's who.  That's why you should keep some of these handy spice bags lying around.  To make some delicious Hot, Spiked (or not) Cider for your next party, follow these simple steps:

1. Fill a teapot or pot with a half gallon of apple juice
2. Bring juice to a boil
3. Once boiling, add 8 spice bags and liquor - such as rum (like Bacardi Gold) or whiskey (like Jack Daniel’s) - to taste
4. Remove from heat and cover.  Let steep for about 5 minutes
5. Serve hot and garnish with a cinnamon stick

Notes:  You can make this drink individually or for a group.  To prepare individually, use one spice bag per 8 oz of hot juice.  Also, the R.W. Knudsen website recommends trying pear or cherry juice if you want to mix it up, but I prefer apple.

Enjoy!

By the way, the Packers beat the Cowboys 45-7!  GO PACK!

5 Responses to “Hump Day: Hot, Spiked (or not) Apple Cider”

1. shawn says:

   November 10, 2010 at 4:39 pm

   Nothing better than a Packers beatdown on the Cowboys and some mulled (alcoholic) drinks.

   Reply
2. Laura says:

   November 14, 2010 at 5:40 pm

   I like hot apple cider, but like (hot) mulled wine even more. Have you had / made that? If you find a good recipe for that let me know…

   Reply
3. Natalie says:

   November 15, 2010 at 11:01 am

   yes! I love mulled wine! I usually stick to some sort of mulling mix like the spice mix, but I’ll try to find a good one to blog about :)

   Reply
4. esme says:

   November 19, 2010 at 3:06 pm

   BRRRR SF is COLD! I think today might be the day to try this!

   Reply
5. Laura says:

   December 28, 2010 at 8:30 pm

   I made mulled wine for xmas and it went over pretty well though I used a cabernet sauvignon and think it may have been better with a bit lighter wine?

   Also – when I was in the UK they do hot mulled cider (but with alcoholic cider not apple cider). I haven’t figured out how to do that at home yet but think it’d be fun to do.

   Reply