Fall is my favorite season. Cooler temperatures are coming.
Fairytale like displays of gorgeous white and “Cinderella” Â pumpkins cast their magic spell.
I snapped this picture on a recent trip to Central Market.
Passing gourds and pumpkins of every shape and size really whets my appetite for autumn.
Which makes me think about sipping one of my absolute favorite fall drinks: spiced apple cider.
Apple cider is fun to make before the football game, dinner with friends or instead of coffee or cocktails.
Serve it warm or over ice.
Serve it straight up for children of all ages or, for a festive fall cocktail, add a shot of spiced rum or cinnamon schnapps.
(If you like signature cocktails, you might also like this ruby red sangria or white sangria recipe.)
Aromatic cinnamon, cloves and star anise make the whole house smell good.
Serve apple cider with these tasty baked apple chips and some spiced nuts.
The recipe below makes enough for sixteen servings, but you can easily cut this recipe in half or refrigerate for a few weeks.
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Spiced Apple Cider (Hot or Cold)
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 16+ servings 1x
- Category: Beverage
- Cuisine: American
Hot or cold, spiked or virgin, this spiced apple cider is a great alternative to coffee or cocktails. Just warm the juices, add whole spices, simmer and serve with extra cinnamon sticks.
Ingredients
- 2 large bottles Martinelli Apple Cider (100 oz/ 3 liters)
- 1/2 bottle cranberry juice (32 oz / 1 liter)
- 1/2 can frozen orange juice concentrate (6 oz/ 177 ml)
- 4 cinnamon sticks (plus extra to serve in each cup of cider)
- 1 T whole cloves (7 gm)
- 3 whole star anise
- spiced rum or cinnamon schnapps (optional)
- (about 1 1/2 oz per 8 oz glass or 45 ml per 240 ml)
Instructions
- Use a large percolator type coffee maker or just a large pot.
- In a coffee maker, pour juices and concentrate in the bottom of the pot and put all the spices in the top part. Turn on coffee maker and allow to heat through before serving.
- In a large deep pot, combine juices, concentrate and spices and simmer gently until cider boils.
- Remove spices and ladle cider into glasses.
- Makes 16 or more 8 oz/240 ml servings.
- Alcoholic version: Add a shot of spiced rum or cinnamon schnapps to each cup of cider before serving.
- Serve hot or iced with a cinnamon stick.
Nutritional information based upon sixteen servings of eight ounces each and no additional alcohol.