Okay. I LOVE spiced cider. I make it for any occasion I possibly can throughout November and December. I love the way it makes my house smell. I love the taste of it. I love how pretty it looks simmering in the crock pot. In the past, I used a recipe that called for Tang and for ground spices. But then I came across a large container of cinnamon sticks at Metro last year for cheap. That had been the only spice I lacked since whole cloves and ginger are available in local grocery stores. So I'm going to share my newer recipe that I like better than the one with Tang in it. If you need the Tang recipe, let me know and I'll share it, too.
Spiced Apple Cider
2 L (~8 cups) of apple juice
1 orange, cut into slices
3 cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 Tbs whole cloves
1 inch ginger root, sliced into 4-5 pieces
1/4 cup brown sugar
Put everything into a crock pot about 1 1/2 to 2 hours before you want it to be ready to serve. Let simmer on high to heat thoroughly. I tend to forget to do this, but I'd recommend removing the spices and just leaving the orange slices once it gets good and hot. Otherwise, if they just continue to simmer in there, the cider gets really strong and can taste almost bitter. They can also get in the way when guests are trying to ladle out cider. You can also do this in a pot on the stove, but in a much shorter time. I personally favor the crock pot because it can just simmer there throughout a party and I don't have to worry about it.
If you want to think about making some other holiday powdered drink mixes, check out these recipes!
2 L (~8 cups) of apple juice
1 orange, cut into slices
3 cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 Tbs whole cloves
1 inch ginger root, sliced into 4-5 pieces
1/4 cup brown sugar
If you want to think about making some other holiday powdered drink mixes, check out these recipes!
I like the way it smells too! Unfortunately, I don't like to drink it. :) But I wanted to say that the picture of the spices is fantastic!! Makes me wish I was a cider drinker!!
ReplyDeleteYeah I can see cool pictures in my head, April, but the lighting in my house doesn't usually produce anything decent. Even with the 50D and a flash! (it doesn't help that our camera has some issues right now that need to be fixed!) And usually I'm just to lazy to "set up" something visually appealing. But I had fun with the spices picture! I'm sorry you don't like it! That's terrible!! :-)
ReplyDeleteWould it be ok to substitute ground ginger for the ginger root? Will the taste be very different?
ReplyDeleteOh it'll be fine with just the ground ginger. Maybe start with 1/4 tsp? I used to make a cider with all ground spices. I like this one a bit better because you can remove them and not have as much "sludge" in the bottom of a cup. All that to say, yes. Use ground if you want!
ReplyDelete