mulled cider ingredients
The best mulled cider I ever had was last Christmas when I stumbled upon the heavenly Somerset Cider Brandy caravan – truly a caravan of love – in Covent Garden in London. I’d love to know how they make it, but I guess this recipe from Vigo Presses must be close:
- 1 litre cider
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 3 cloves
- 1 star anise
- pinch nutmeg
- small bit of bruised stem ginger
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- lemon juice to taste
- slug of Somerset Cider Brandy
Combine and simmer for 20 mins but do not boil.
Okay – I have actually made this now and it wasn’t as nice as the stuff I had last Christmas off Julian Temperley’s caravan in Covent Garden – but I was using an old bottle of Cornish scrumpy not fine Somerset cider. When most of it was gone I made a new batch with the same spices and used apple juice as well. It was delicious – especially with a nip of the aforementioned Somerset Cider Brandy.
We shared it with Marian the Custard Tart who spookily had just brought us the largest cinnamon stick I have ever seen – it must be 12 inches long. I was tempted to stir the spiced apple juice with it but will have to ponder on uses for it.