The smell is almost as good as the taste
As it simmers on the stove, it fills the house with delicious seasonal aromas. In fact, mulled cider is a Christmas decoration in itself! Infused with ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, it beats a scented candle because you can drink it. One sniff and you can imagine Santa sipping heartily at the hearth, his designated driver elf standing by. You can make it to pack a snooze-inducing punch – or an alcohol-free version that leaves you free to joy ride the sleigh.
So how do you actually make it?
Well, it’s a little more than ‘heating some cider up’. But at its simplest, mulled cider can be like making a cup of tea. If you are feeling really lazy, just buy a ready-made mixture of mulled cider which you do simply heat up. Alternatively, you can buy pre-mixed mulled cider spices (that come in what look like tea bags), or a bottle of cider mulling syrup. You simply add these to the cider and warm (being careful not to boil).
However, if this feels like serving pot noodles for a lavish dinner party, it doesn’t take much more effort to make a real showstopper. And it won’t cost a fortune either. So, let’s get mulling…
What is mulled cider made of?
It's a base of cider, sugar, and fruits to complement the cider and plenty of spices to make it warming
Which spices can be used in mulled cider?
Spices that compliment that flavour of apple best are:
- Cardamom
- Cinnamon
- Star Anise
- Cloves
- Ginger
A combination of any of your favourite spices can be used, so experiment and see what you like best. Remember to strain out any spices before serving to prevent any unwanted bits when sipping!
Your super-simple, show-stopping mulled cider recipe
This will serve 4-6 people, so simply multiply the ingredients for bigger batches
Hands-on time: 5 minutes | Cooking time: 10 minutes, plus: 5 minutes infusing
Ingredients
1L good dry cider
3 tbsp light brown sugar
2 bay leaves
2 star anise
8 cloves
1 vanilla pod, halved lengthways
2 cinnamon sticks, snapped in half
2 oranges (one juiced, one sliced)
Method
In a large pan stir all the ingredients together apart from the orange slices, cover the pan with a lid and bring slowly up to a simmer, this will take about 10 minutes.
Once the cider is bubbling, turn off the heat, add the orange slices and leave the lid on to infuse for 5 minutes.
Pour into heatproof glasses or mugs.
Garnish with the orange slices, and cinnamon sticks if you like.
Give your mulled cider a little kick start
If you'd like to add even more warmth to your mulled cider, head to our spirits page and and add a splash of any of the following for ultimate festive cheer: Sloe gin, Calvados, Brandy, or Madeira
Mulling on an ancient Christmas tradition
A mulled drink is a drink which has been prepared with various spices. We have a guide on the best wines for mulling if you need some guidance for the festive season's tipples.
It’s warmed to allow the spices to infuse into the liquid, leaving behind a delicious delicate flavour. And most European countries have some sort of mulling tradition – Nordic Glögg, Germanic Glühwein, French Chaud Vin, Russian Glintwein... and, of course, British Wassail.
Some people think of Bonfire Night as heralding the start of the mulled cider ‘season’. And fair enough. It is the perfect winter warmer. But it actually originated as ‘rocket fuel’ for turbo-charged carol singing. Because pre-Christmas ‘wassailing’ seems to have originally involved well-mulled medieval peasants turning up outside rich peoples’ doors and singing heartily for their supper.
Wassailing was also a ceremony which toasted apple trees with mulled cider. However, you might want to avoid the traditional recipe. Back then it took the form of mulled ale, curdled cream, eggs, sugar and other ingredients that you’d probably pass on today!
