Mulled cider
I first encountered mulled cider at a bonfire party in Devon. My head was turned by its seductive, spicy aroma as its tingling warmth spread from my boots to the roots of my hair. It truly was a "road to Holcombe Rogus" experience, converting me from mulled wine on the spot.
Considering how baked apples and apple crumble scale heavenly heights with the merest hint of cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest, perhaps these spices are better suited to cider than wine. But mulled cider is no flash in the pan. Wassailing the apple trees – beating drums and singing songs to scare evil spirits from the orchard – is a midwinter festival predating Christmas. Traditionally, the celebrants drank hot, spiced cider from a wassail bowl ("waes hael" is Anglo-Saxon for "good cheer"). This recipe (below) for appley anti-freeze, with a splash of calvados, will thaw you to the core.
Alternatively, give glogg a go, a hefty Scandinavian mulled wine with port, brandy, raisins and almonds. It’s pronounced glug, and a steaming "mug of glug" leaves no cockle unwarmed.
Mulling made easy
- Use traditional still farmhouse cider; nothing bland or fizzy. And remember, thin acidic wine makes thin acidic mulled wine that no amount of spice can improve.
- Never allow the drink to boil, as the alcohol will evaporate. It should be gently warmed to the point where you can just bear to stick your finger in it.
- Use stainless steel or enamel pans; aluminium and copper impart a metallic taste.
- If you feel the need, all the fruit and spices in these recipes can be removed with a slotted spoon. But first ask yourself, do you struggle with the fruit in Pimms?
- Oranges and lemons look pretty; but too much pith is horribly bitter. Zest is best.
- Taste as you go, especially for sweetness. Demerara sugar adds a caramelised quality, or you could use honey.
Mulled Cider
- 1½ litres farmhouse cider
- ½ litre apple juice
- 200ml Calvados
- 3 apples, peeled
- 1 orange
- 10cm cinnamon stick
- 5cm piece of ginger, sliced
- 1 tsp allspice berries
- 2 tbsp sugar (to taste)
- 10 cloves
Pour the cider, apple juice and calvados into a large stainless-steel or enamel pan. Stud one peeled apple with 10 cloves; core and slice the other two apples into eighths. Remove the zest from the orange with a peeler and squeeze its juice into the pan. Add the fruit, spices and sugar. Heat gently for half an hour, keeping a careful eye on the pan so that the cider doesn't boil. Use a heat-diffusing mat if necessary.
Glogg
- 1½ litres medium/full-bodied red wine
- 370ml port
- 200ml brandy
- 2 oranges
- 12 cloves
- Pinch grated nutmeg
- 6 cardamom pods, crushed
- 5cm piece of fresh ginger, sliced
- 10cm cinnamon stick
- 4 tbsp sugar (to taste)
- Small handful of raisins
- Small handful each of raisins and blanched, flaked almonds
Pour the alcohol into a large stainless-steel pan. Stud one orange with the cloves; peel the zest from the other and squeeze its juice. Put these in the pan with the spices, raisins and almonds, adding sugar to taste. Heat gently for half an hour. Serve with a few almonds and raisins in each cup.
This article was first published in the October 2008 edition of Saga Magazine.