Holiday Drink

Mulled Apple Cider!!!

If you like the German Glühwein,(<--had to copy and paste to get the u with the dots!)

or mulled wine, than you will probably love mulled cider. 

I've made it twice this season and it is always a hit. 

Yesterday I just sort of loosely threw it together on what I could remember. 

I put my hard apple cider in a pot with cinnamon sticks, star anise, nutmeg, whole cloves, a vanilla bean sliced in two, juice from an orange, honey...and lots more honey because the cider I bought is not sweet!

My original recipe I took from Jamie Oliver's website(http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/incredible-mulled-cider) and it looks like this: 

• 2 litres good cider, such as Scrumpy
• 6 cloves
• 3 or 4 star anise
• ¼ nutmeg, finely grated into the pan
• 1 cinnamon stick 
• 1 vanilla pod, halved 
• juice of 1 orange 
• juice of 2 clementines
• juice and seeds from 1 pomegranate
• 4 or 5 tablespoons of caster sugar, to taste

There are my ingredients, but It wasn't quite flavorful enough like the one I had in the Santa Croce Christmas Market in Florence...So, I started to add more of these things:

Vanilla extract, powdered cinnamon, nutmeg, and powdered cloves. 

And probably more honey!

I forgot to take a picture when I was drinking it with friends but here is what was left. The vanilla beans still hanging out inside there. And for a little kick and a lot of extra good flavor, add some Brandy or Rum...maybe even Port. 

For my Huge Christmas party I made Mulled Cider as well but I used fresh organic apple juice that I juiced that morning. I didn't need to add as much honey at all, just a little spoon to bring out the flavors. I imagine a sweeter hard cider would work better than the one I used. 

Happy Holidays to All!!!

(All my 1 reader! hehehe)