There’s something deeply satisfying about warming a pot of cider on a cold day. The moment those spices hit the heat, your kitchen fills with the most wonderful aroma – sweet apple mingling with orange, warming cinnamon and that distinctive star anise.
This mulled cider is perfect for Halloween. It’s a proper autumn warmer that takes barely any effort to put together. While the cider gently heats, the spices do all the work, slowly releasing their flavours into the drink. The fresh ginger adds a lovely warmth that builds with each sip, while the bay leaf brings an unexpected depth that works brilliantly with the allspice and cloves.
I particularly like using dark brown sugar here – it adds a subtle toffee note that you just don’t get with regular sugar. And while the brandy is optional, it does round everything out nicely. Just remember not to let the cider boil – you want it just below simmering point to keep all those delicate flavours intact.
The whole process takes about 40 minutes, but most of that is just letting it tick away on the hob while you get on with other things. The hardest part is resisting the urge to serve it straight away – giving it time to properly infuse makes all the difference. When it’s ready, strain it into heat-proof glasses and enjoy it while it’s hot. It’s perfect for warming up after the fireworks on Halloween night.
Halloween Mulled Cider
Ingredients
- 1 litre apple cider
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 oranges (one for slicing, one for zest)
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 whole star anise
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1 tablespoon allspice berries
- 60ml brandy
Directions
- Pour the cider into a large saucepan and add the dark brown sugar. Place over low heat.
- Thinly slice one orange and add the slices to the pan. Using a vegetable peeler, remove large strips of zest from the second orange and add to the pan.
- Add the cloves, cinnamon sticks, star anise, bay leaf, sliced ginger, and allspice berries to the pan.
- Slowly heat the mixture until it almost reaches boiling point.
- Reduce heat to low and let simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes to allow the spices to fully infuse.
- Remove from heat and strain out all the spices, orange slices, and zest.
- Stir in the brandy just before serving.
- Ladle into heat-proof glasses and serve hot.
