Merry Christmas!
Everyone seems to be drinking mulled cider rather than mulled wine this year so I thought I’d stick my oar in and give you my recipe for it (if you prefer mulled wine click this link for my recipe for that from last year). You may have been expecting a massive over-the-top Christmas feast post this time of year; well, I can only apologise as this is all I can muster. I promise to do something better next year…
Mulled cider has been drunk during the winter festivities at least as long as mulled wine and it is perhaps the descendant of a much older drink called wassail made from roasted apples that was knocked back by many in the south-west of England. Wassail night involves a most bizarre ritual that requires a man blacking himself up as revellers hang pieces of dry toast onto twigs. I shall leave that hanging there. It deserves its very own post – perhaps it shall be next year’s Christmas tipple recipe.
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The recipe is pretty straight-forward – you need a good dry cider, a little sweetener and a little fortification of alcohol in the form of dark rum. Then it’s the usual spices that one would expect: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and allspice. It’s very delicious and much nicer than mulled wine I think. The amounts given below are for mere guidance as it is all to taste really:
1 litre (1 ¾ pints) dry cider
2 cox’s apples, sliced
2 clementines, sliced
2 sticks of cinnamon
6 allspice berries
4 cloves
small piece of nutmeg
2 to 4 tbs dark rum
2 or 3 tbs soft dark brown sugar
![20121228_184345[1]](https://britishfoodhistory.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/20121228_1843451.jpg)
Place the cider, fruit and spices in a saucepan and heat gently so that all the flavours can infuse into the cider for 5 to 10 minutes– on no account let it boil, you don’t want to cook the alcohol away. Next, add the rum and sugar to taste and serve!
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Guess it’s a recession thing – we started getting a big enough crop to make our own cider a couple of years back so its mostly been cider we’ve mulled since then. With son moved back home who’s sensitive to cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves (serious problem at Christmas) I do a simple allspice and ginger version. With brandy. Must try rum. Thanks for the goose and apple soup suggestion – worked very well with a blob of creme fraiche and some crispy fried sage
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The goose and apple soup on Boxing Day was almost as good as the roast goose and apple sauce on Christmas Day.
I’m jealous of your apple crop. I was reading in Good Things in England by Florence White how cider is the healthiest and most refreshing of all the fermented drinks. Not sure about the former, but sher’s dead on with the latter.
Next year I hope to do some more archaic recipes and a goose recipe. This year has been far too mad! My New Year Resolution is blog just once a week. I surely can manage that…
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We’ve constantly had a pot of cider on the stove since Christmas Eve. Although we don’t use rum (kids in the household!), it’s such a tasty and festive addition to the holidays.
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It certainly is. I do love it and I’ll be having it until the nights are warmer. Thanks for the comment!
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I bet cold apple cider could still taste good as the weather warms up too!
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You’re probably right! It’d be nice over ice, with a splash of soda water…
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Mmm, now I can’t wait for summer!
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