Apple Cider Mocktail
Hot apple cider mulled with cinnamon, clove, orange and ginger. The alcohol-free winter drink that needs no apology and no spirit.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Put the cider, cinnamon stick, cloves, orange slice and ginger in a small pan.
Warm gently until steaming — never boiling — and let it sit over low heat for five minutes so the spices infuse.
Strain into a warmed mug.
Garnish with a fresh cinnamon stick.
A thoughtful finish
- Unfiltered cider, cloudy and brown, is the drink. Clear apple juice is thin and sweet and tastes of nothing after the spices.
- Do not boil. The fruit flavour goes cooked and the cider loses its freshness.
- A slow cooker on low holds a batch for hours and is how it is served at any gathering worth attending.
Common mistakes
- Ground spices, which make it gritty and bitter. Whole spices, strained out.
- Added sugar. Cider is sweet already.
- Serving it lukewarm. It should steam.
A few good questions.
What is the difference between apple cider and apple juice?
In the United States, cider is fresh-pressed, unfiltered and cloudy; juice is filtered and often from concentrate. For this drink, cider.
Can I add spirit?
Yes — an ounce and a half of bourbon, rum or applejack in the mug makes it the Hot Apple Cider Cocktail.
Can I make it cold?
Chilled spiced cider over ice with a squeeze of lemon is a good autumn soft drink. Infuse it hot and chill.
What is wassail?
The medieval spiced cider or ale toast of Twelfth Night, usually with roasted apples floating in it. This is its descendant.
Variations
- Hot Apple Cider Cocktail — The same drink with bourbon.
- Hot Toddy — Whiskey, honey, lemon and hot water.
- Mulled Wine — Red wine mulled with spices.
- Virgin Moscow Mule — Ginger beer and lime — the cold ginger drink.
Where it comes from
c. 1600s · England and New England
Mulled cider is one of the oldest warm drinks in the English-speaking world — wassail, the medieval winter toast, was a bowl of hot spiced cider or ale with apples floating in it, carried from house to house on Twelfth Night. New England took the tradition with its orchards, and hot spiced cider has been the farm-stand and church-hall drink of American autumn ever since. There is nothing virgin about it; it was always made this way, and the spirit is the optional addition, not the other way round.
Sources
- Ben Watson, Cider, Hard and Sweet, 1999 (book)
- Julia Bainbridge, Good Drinks, 2020 (book)
- David Wondrich, Punch: The Delights (and Dangers) of the Flowing Bowl, 2010 (book)
A little character in every sip.
A keeper?
Save this drink for your next cocktail hour.
Saved in this browser.The next great drink
might already be on your shelf.
Choose your bottles and mixers. Discover what you can make.