As a cider lover, who’s partial to a bottle or three of Savanna, how could I miss out on traditional mulled cider as part of my Christmas recipes? Mulled cider used to be a big thing, but it’s not so commonly prepared these days, having been supplanted by mulled wine. Yet, mulled cider is just as good, and is generally cheaper and just as flavourful if not quite as alcoholic. I think we like this, as we tend to have fattier fowl like duck for Christmas and mulled cider goes really well with those.
Prep time: 10 minutes/Cook time: 15 minutes/Serves: 15
Ingredients:
2l (8 cups) good-quality traditional cider
6 cloves
3-4 star anise
¼ nutmeg, finely grated into the pan
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla pod, halved
6 allspice berries
juice of 1 orange
juice of 2 clementines
juice and seeds of 1 pomegranate
4–5 tbsp caster sugar
Method:
Pour the cider into a large pan over low heat and let it warm through for a few minutes. Add all the spices and juices and increase the heat. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and leave to infuse gently for 5–8 minutes.
As everything infuses you’ll get delicious layers of flavour. Taste it and add sugar to your liking. You don’t want it sweet; you just want the sugar to join harmoniously with the spices. When you’re happy with the flavours, ladle into glasses or mugs and serve warm.
