Cider for a cold winters night.....

Wild Dollar's Mulled Cider

(makes approx 8 pints/20 wine glasses)

Spices:

• 2 Star Anise
• 3 All -Spice berries 
• 3 Cardamon pods
• 4 teaspoons Ginger powder
• a half teaspoon Mace
• a ‘pinch’ Nutmeg
• 5 teaspoons Cinnamon powder
• 2 Cloves (whole)
• 6 black Peppercorns (whole)
• 2 Bay leaves (ripped in half)
• 8 dessertspoons Muscovado sugar     *(could use honey))
• 2 Oranges (1 zested & both juiced)     *(could use 7 Clementines)
• 1 Lemon (juiced)

• approx 1 imperial gallon/4.5 litres medium traditional farmhouse Cider

• 80ml Cider Brandy*  (Brandy if you have to, or Rum if you’re really desperate)                 *which works out at 10ml per pint or 4ml per wine glass)

Equipment:

• Pestle & Mortar
• Large saucepan with a lid
• small Jug/ladle
• tea strainer
• glasses to serve

To make:

Firstly, coarsely crush the Star Anise, Cardomon and All-Spice berries then along with the powdered spices (Ginger, Cinnamon, Mace & Nutmeg) place into a warm saucepan (on a medium heat) and mix in with the whole spices (Bay leaves, Peppercorns & Cloves) and sugar. After a two minutes of heating together, add a pint of cider to dissolve the sugar and infuse, increase temperature until simmering.

When simmering, add the orange zest & juice, lemon and the rest of the cider, allow it all to heat up then turn down the heat to low. Heating the cider will remove some of the alcohol (if you boil it most of it will go) so I get it all up to about 70C/150f then turn it down really low to sit and mull for at least 30 minutes (that should retain most of the booze if you keep the lid on!)

Serving it is generally a sticky, messy business so be sure to have a small, clean jug (or a ladle) to hand that you can scoop out from the saucepan to minimise the mess. Just before serving is a good time to add the Cider Brandy to the saucepan or, as I tend to prefer, proportionally into each glass ahead of the brew.

Pour into the serving vessels via a tea strainer and place any collected spices back into the saucepan as you go. I favour thick glass or ceramic mugs with a handles as they tend to preserve the temperature and protect my sensitive, arty hands.