Hot Spiced Cider
The season for cider
For folks who want a comfort beverage on cool or cold days, hot spiced cider is a way to go. Cold cider is good, too. Yet rainy, dreary, snowy or stormy days call for spiced cider.
Buy your favorite apple cider, then add your seasonings and spices. Simmer on the stovetop and it’s ready to go.
You’ll need brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and orange slices. No matter the occasion or the season, this will hit the spot. Serve this up during the holiday season or after being out in the snow and cold.
The aroma of cinnamon and cloves along with oranges is just what you need on a cool day. Oranges, apples, cinnamon and cloves are spices we enjoy in autumn and in the Christmas season. There’s a warmth in the house when we inhale the aroma of these scents. We think of pumpkins and autumn leaves. We think of Christmas days and carolling in dark, wintry days.
Benefits
The benefits include hydration and decreased constipation. Mashed and chopped apples are used to make cider. Both are loaded with antioxidants, which promote health. Antioxidants also reduce chance of certain conditions such as inflammation.
You can reduce the brown sugar in this recipe (or use none at all) to make this cider healthier. Adjust the spices as you prefer. There’s no set way to make this cider.
We served this hot spiced cider at a birthday fling for my husband years ago. Adults and kids alike kept coming back for more.
The recipe for hot spiced cider
Hot Cider
Ingredients
- 1 gallon apple cider
- 3/4 cup brown sugar - or less
- 1 tsp. whole cloves
- 1 orange sliced
- 4 cinnamon sticks
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a kettle on the stovetop
- Bring to a boil, then turn down and just simmer
- OR put in a crock pot on low, and cook for 2 hours
- Remove cinnamon sticks and cloves with a slotted spoon
- Serve warm.
