Hot Spiced Apple Cider
Prepared apple cider becomes a warm, orange-and-spice-infused drink in about 30 minutes. Cinnamon sticks and whole cloves simmer gently with the cider, then get strained out so the finished mugs have no loose spices. There’s no need to cook or mash fresh apples.
Serve the cider in clear, heat-safe mugs with generous whipped cream and a thin dried apple slice standing in each topping. The batch stays nonalcoholic, and added sweetener is optional: taste the cider after infusion before deciding whether it needs any.
Ingredients for Hot Spiced Apple Cider
- 8 cups (1/2 gallon) prepared apple cider
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 8 whole cloves
- 1 medium orange, sliced
- About 2 cups prepared whipped cream, for topping
- 8 thin dried apple slices with red peel, one per mug
Optional: 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup for the batch, if needed after tasting, and a tiny pinch of ground cinnamon per mug for dusting the cream. Unfiltered apple juice can replace the cider; taste it before adding sweetener.
How to Make Hot Spiced Apple Cider
- Combine: Pour the cider into a large saucepan or pot with room above the liquid. Add the orange slices, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. Stir once.
- Heat and infuse: Heat over medium, stirring occasionally, until the first gentle bubbles appear, about 5 minutes depending on the pot and the cider’s starting temperature. Reduce to low, cover loosely, and simmer for 20 minutes. Look for occasional small bubbles, not a rolling boil. After 15 minutes on low, taste a small cooled spoonful to check the spice intensity.
- Strain and taste: Remove from the heat and pour the cider through a fine-mesh strainer to catch the orange and whole spices. Taste a small cooled spoonful. If needed, stir in maple syrup gradually.
- Finish the mugs: Let the strained cider settle briefly, then ladle it into eight clear, heat-safe handled mugs, leaving room at the top. Add a generous mound of whipped cream to each mug and tuck one dried apple slice upright into the cream. Dust lightly with ground cinnamon, if desired, and serve promptly.
How to Keep Spiced Cider Smooth
Infuse the cider with whole cinnamon sticks and cloves, then strain them out with the orange. Ground spices stirred into the pot can leave grit in the drink. For a little visible cinnamon, use only a light dusting over the whipped cream.
When to Add the Whipped Cream and Apple Slices
Keep cream out of the pot and garnish only the mugs you’re ready to serve. Thin dried apple slices are firm enough to stand in the cream; fresh slices can work, but may tip over. The cream will soften against the hot cider, so add both toppings just before serving.
Make-Ahead and Party Serving
Make the cider 1 to 2 days ahead if convenient. Strain it and refrigerate it without the toppings in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a saucepan until hot, then garnish the mugs after pouring.
For a gathering, infuse the prepared cider, orange, and whole spices in a slow cooker on LOW for about 3 to 4 hours. Remove the solids before holding the cider warm, and set the toppings beside the cooker. For an adult serving, stir about 1 ounce of rum or bourbon into an individual mug after heating; keep the main batch nonalcoholic.
Serve turkey and cranberry pinwheels alongside the hot cider, or offer sparkling apple cider punch as a cold party option.
Nutrition
Approximate per serving, based on eight servings of about 1 cup cider plus whipped cream and an apple slice: 165 calories, 1 g protein, 4 g fat, and 32 g carbohydrates. Approximate per 100 g: 60 calories, less than 1 g protein, 1.5 g fat, and 12 g carbohydrates. Values vary with the cider, whipped cream, and apple slices; optional additions are not included.
Equipment
- Large saucepan or pot
- Fine-mesh strainer
- Ladle
- Heat-safe mugs
Ingredients
For the cider
- 8 cups (1/2 gallon) prepared apple cider
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 8 whole cloves
- 1 medium orange, sliced
For serving
- About 2 cups prepared whipped cream
- 8 thin dried apple slices with red peel
Optional
- 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup, if needed after tasting
- A tiny pinch of ground cinnamon per mug
Instructions
- Pour the cider into a large saucepan or pot. Add the orange slices, cinnamon sticks, and cloves, then stir once.
- Heat over medium, stirring occasionally, until the first gentle bubbles appear, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover loosely, and simmer for 20 minutes, keeping the cider at a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil. Taste a small cooled spoonful after 15 minutes to check the spice intensity.
- Remove the pot from the heat and strain the cider through a fine-mesh strainer.
- Taste a small cooled spoonful and stir in maple syrup gradually if needed.
- Ladle the cider into eight heat-safe mugs, leaving room at the top. Top each with whipped cream and one dried apple slice. Dust with ground cinnamon if desired and serve promptly.
Tips
- Use whole cinnamon sticks and cloves, then strain them out to keep the cider smooth.
- Taste the cider before adding maple syrup; sweetener may not be needed.
- Keep the whipped cream and apple slices out of the pot and add them just before serving.
- Use dried apple slices if you want a garnish that stands upright in the cream.
Variations
- Apple Juice Cider: Replace the prepared cider with unfiltered apple juice and taste before adding sweetener.
- Slow Cooker Cider: Infuse the cider, orange, and whole spices in a slow cooker on LOW for about 3 to 4 hours, then remove the solids before holding warm.
- Spiked Individual Serving: Stir about 1 ounce of rum or bourbon into an individual mug after heating; keep the main batch nonalcoholic.