Fill the house with the welcoming, sweet scent of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and orange, and have ready the spiced rum, bourbon, or whiskey on stand-by for spiking. There's not a more delicious way to ring in the holidays than with a cozy cup of this Spiked Apple Cider in hand!
It's a boozy twist on mulled cider, and it's perfect for slow sipping over great conversation. Easy to make (and make-ahead) holiday cocktails don't get better than this. There's no shaking, no last-minute squeezing, and you can make one big batch to last you the whole evening. Yes, please.
Need a little something for the kids as well? No problem. The mulled cider portion of this recipe is crazy delicious all on its lonesome, even without the booze! Just set some unadulterated cider aside for the little ones, and use our single-serving cocktail option for the grown-ups!
Looking for more amazing Cocktails to add to your holiday line-up? Bookmark our Spiked Hot Chocolate or Mulled Wine for next time!
WHAT IS MULLED APPLE CIDER?
Mulled Cider is apple cider that has been simmered and steeped with other ingredients such like citrus, brown sugar, and sweet-scented, warming spices. It is the base for the cocktail, Spiked Apple Cider.
The spices you'll most often find in mulled beverages are cinnamon, clove, and allspice. It is important that the spices go in whole and not ground for steeping purposes (with the exception of freshly grated nutmeg as a finishing touch).
HOW TO MAKE SPIKED APPLE CIDER
The first step on your [very short and easy] journey to the perfect cold-weather cocktail is to make the mulled cider. Once you have this under your belt, move on to the second step and turn it into a cocktail!
1. MAKE THE MULLED CIDER
- Combine Ingredients - Add apple cider, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, star anise, and orange peel to a saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Simmer - Once the mixture comes to a simmer, you can remove it from the heat and start spiking! However, if you'd like to get every last drop of flavor out of those spices and the orange peel, you can reduce the heat to a medium-low and let it go for up to 30 minutes. Avoid letting the mixture go too long over the heat, or the sweetness will intensify and it could become cloying to the palate.
- Remove Spices - Once you've got your cider right where you want it, remove the spices and the orange, and it's on to the booze!
Speaking of apple cider, our apple cider sangria is another favorite around here come Fall!
2. ADD THE BOOZE
When the mulled cider is ready to your liking, it's time to spike it! You can do this by adding rum, bourbon, or whiskey, or you can make a next-level rendition and give it a little boost using a fun liqueur. We'll talk more about these options below.
TYPES OF ALCOHOL TO MIX WITH APPLE CIDER
- Spiced Rum
- Bourbon
- Whiskey
The most common (and our personal favorite) way to spike apple cider is with a dark, spiced rum.
Spiced rum is rum flavored with ingredients like vanilla, citrus, and spices like cinnamon, allspice, cloves, star anise, and more. Sounding familiar? It should -- it's very much in line with the same ingredients you'll use for the mulling portion of the recipe! Because of this, spiced rum blends in seamlessly for a perfectly balanced cocktail.
However, bourbon/whiskey and apple are a very common flavor combination in the world of booze, and you could also go this route!
SHOULD I USE A LIQUEUR?
First off, liqueur is not a necessary ingredient in Spiked Apple Cider and you should know it is completely optional.
That being said, hot beverages seem to supercharge our tastebuds with the unwanted ability to really "feel the burn" of alcohol. Liqueurs can help with that, as they have a knack for mellowing out the harsh, boozy flavors of straight liquor.
My number one liqueur recommendation for adding to this cocktail is a ginger liqueur called Domain de Canton. The ginger flavor pairs beautifully with every other ingredient in the cocktail, and it's guaranteed to make this the best spiked cider you (or anyone else) has ever had!
HOW TO SPIKE A BATCH MULLED CIDER (SERVES 6-8)
To spike 1 quart of mulled cider (as called for in the recipe), you can add one cup of either spiced rum, bourbon, or whiskey straight to pot.
However, if you are using the suggested liqueur as well, you'll probably want to cut the rum or whisky quantity in half. Then, add 1 cup of ginger liqueur in addition to the [now] half cup of liquor. If you love to host, be sure to check out these Recipes for Entertaining!
SINGLE SERVING SPIKED CIDER COCKTAILS
If you'd like to allow guests to mix up their own cocktails, just set a bottle (or bottles) next to the cider, and kindly give your guests a bit of instruction as to how to craft the cocktail of their dreams.
First, add the booze:
- If using only liquor, add 1 ounce of either spiced rum, bourbon, or whiskey.
- If using both the liquor and the liqueur, add 1 ounce of ginger liqueur and only a ½ ounce of liquor.
Then, top it all off with a ladleful (about a ½ cup) of mulled cider, and enjoy!
COCKTAIL MEASUREMENT HELP
- 1 quart = 4 cups or a ¼ gallon
- 8 ounces = 1 cup
- 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons
- ½ ounce = 1 tablespoon
CAN I MAKE THIS IN THE SLOW COOKER?
Yes! Add all of the ingredients (except the booze) into a crock-pot and cook on low for about 3 hours. Once all the flavors have melded and you're ready for the party, simply add the rum (bourbon or whiskey), and the liqueur (if using it), stir, and serve!
CAN I MAKE THIS COCKTAIL AHEAD OF TIME?
If you'd like to make the mulled cider in advance and heat it up just before serving, feel free to do so! It can be kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days (with or without the spices).
Just heat it in the microwave or on the stovetop before serving, and add in your booze of choice once it has heated through.
ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS
Apple Cider | First and foremost, make sure you get a good, quality bottle of apple cider. High-quality cider is typically cloudy in appearance and found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Note, this recipe does not call for hard cider, which is a product is already spiked. We are going to do the spiking ourselves.
Sugar | While apple cider is plenty sweet, it is also very tart, and adding a little sugar to the mix offsets that puckering acidity. You can use light or dark brown sugar, but don't try to sub in white, granulated sugar. Brown sugar really is best, as it will lend a caramel-y, full-bodied sweetness to the beverage.
Citrus | It's amazing what a little fresh citrus can do to a cocktail, and this Spiked Apple Cider gets a double dose of it! Lemon juice will add a fresh burst of acidity to the cocktail and the freshly peeled strips of orange are absolutely perfect in combination with those sweet and warming spices.
Spices | The spices we'll be using to whip up the mulled cider are cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, and star anise. Be sure you are using whole spices, and not ground. If you are not familiar with star anise, know it gives off a mild (but pleasant) licorice flavor. It's very pretty and you might find it tempting to go overboard, so it's best you're warned beforehand -- a little bit goes a long way. If you happen to be out of either cloves or allspice, you can just double up on whichever one is in the cupboard for this recipe.
Alcohol | In recipe development, we used Captain Morgan's Private Stock Rum, but as mentioned above, any spiced rum, bourbon, or whiskey of your liking will do. We also used Domaine de Canton in this Spiked Apple Cider cocktail, and it was balanced, smooth-sipping, and positively delicious. Every single one of our taste-testers was in full agreement!
5 MORE FESTIVE COCKTAILS YOU’LL LOVE
Spiked Apple Cider | Mulled Cider With Rum
Ingredients
- 1 orange
- 1 quart of good-quality apple cider
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3 whole cloves
- 3 whole allspice
- 1 star anise (not ground)
- 8 ounces (1 cup) spiced rum
- 8 ounces (1 cup) ginger liqueur (optional)
Instructions
MAKE THE MULLED CIDER
- Use a vegetable peeler and peel off 3 large strips of the outer rind of the orange. Do your best to avoid digging into the pith as it is very bitter. Set aside.
- Add the apple cider, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, star anise, and orange peels to a saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Allow the mixture to come to a simmer. The cider can be used immediately after it reaches a simmer, or you can reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook for up to 30 minutes more.
- Remove the spices and discard, if desired.
BATCH OF SPIKED CIDER (MAKES 8):
- Add the rum to the mulled cider, stir and serve in mugs or coffee cups.
- If using the ginger liqueur as well, you might want to consider using half the amount of rum so your cider won't be quite so boozy!
SINGLE SERVING SPIKED CIDER COCKTAILS:
- Add 1 ounce of spiced rum, a ½ ounce of ginger liqueur, and a scant half-cup (about 4 ounces) of apple cider to a mug or coffee cup. Stir and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- 1 quart = 4 cups or a ¼ gallon
- 8 ounces = 1 cup
- 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons
- ½ ounce = 1 tablespoon
Nutrition
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