Hey everyone! Is it getting colder for you? Because I know we just had our first cold strike here in Virginia. For my recipe I’m bringing warm spiked apple cider using Virginia made apple cider. Each year I like to start out the winter with some warm apple cider from this orchard, and I’m excited to read about all the stories from others during the Warming Trends event this weekend! My spiked apple cider recipe is easy to make, and only requires a few ingredients. I like to have spice bags handy when mulling cider, it makes removing the spices from the drink far less stressful and cuts down on the preparation time once the cider is warm. The easiest way to prepare this recipe is with a crock pot, but if you don’t have any available you can easily use a stove top pot. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do, and that it fills your entire house with the sweet aroma of fall time.

Ingredients

1/2 gallon apple cider
4 cinnamon sticks
1/3 cup whole all spice
1/3 cup whole cloves
1/2 cup dark rum
peel of 1 orange

Instructions

1.In a large pot, add the apple cider.
2.Place the sticks and spices into spice bags, tie them off, and immerse them into the cider.
3.Measure out the dark rum and add it to the cider.
4.Carefully remove the peel from the orange, and add it to the cider.
5.Place the lid on top of the cider, and place on the stove over low heat. Let the cider warm 1-2 hours before serving.
6.Optionally, serve the cider with a cinnamon stick in the glass for presentation.