Hot Spiced Apple Cider — Ad-Free Recipe, Ingredients First

Mulled cider is about a slow, gentle simmer with whole spices, not ground; ground spices make it cloudy and gritty. Keep it below a boil and steep the whole spices 20 minutes so they give up their warmth without going bitter.

The Ingredients — and where to get them

Cook for 6 servings

Our ratio, your call. The amounts below are a tested starting point — a version, not the one and only. Anything tagged to taste is the knob you turn: start there, then make it yours.

Apple cider

Real unfiltered apple cider, not clear juice, has the body and tartness this needs.

6 cupsrecommended

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Whole spices

Cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and star anise steeped whole keep it clear and let you fish them out.

2 sticks, 6 clovesrecommended

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Orange

Studded orange slices add citrus oil and brightness to cut the sweetness.

1 orangerecommended

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Raw honey

Sweeten to taste at the end; cider is often sweet enough on its own.

2 tbspto taste

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Fresh ginger

A few coins of ginger add a warming bite under the sweet spices.

1 inchrecommended

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The Rundown

Greedometer ●●●●● Barely a splurge

A light hand — your arteries say thanks.

EffortEasy

Cook it with

No-cook

The Method

Combine and heatPour the cider into a pot with the cinnamon, cloves, star anise, ginger, and orange slices.
Mull lowBring to a bare simmer, then hold below a boil 20-25 min; boiling turns the spices bitter.
Strain and sweetenStrain out the solids, stir in honey to taste, and serve hot.

The Toolkit

Large pot · Fine strainer · Ladle · Heatproof mugs

Straight Answers

Can you make Hot Spiced Apple Cider ahead of time? — Partly

You can batch the mix and keep it cold, but add the ice, soda, and garnish and shake or stir to order — a made-up drink goes flat and watery if it sits.

Is Hot Spiced Apple Cider gluten-free? — Yes

Yes — nothing in this recipe as written contains gluten. As always, glance at the labels on any packaged items (broth, sauces, chocolate), since brands vary.

Is Hot Spiced Apple Cider vegan? — Vegetarian, not vegan

It’s vegetarian but not vegan as written — it has honey. Make it vegan: maple syrup for the honey.

Community Notes

Made it, tweaked it, or recognize which restaurant this tastes like? Leave a note — first-name basis, no account.

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Hot Spiced Apple Cider, and where to source it