Mulled Cider (With Wine) and Homemade Mulling Spices

1. Gather all the ingredients. For the best results, read more about apple cider (or unfiltured apple juice) and red wine in the blog post.
2. Add 2 QT fresh apple cider (or unfiltered apple juice) to a 4-QT Dutch oven or large pot.
3. To the pot, add 2 Tbsp mulling spices (see the instructions at the end of the recipe for how to blend the mulling spices). You can also use a tea bag or cheesecloth to keep the spices together for easy removal later.
4. Cut 1 orange into thin slices and add them to the pot.

To Make the Kid-Friendly, Non-Alcoholic Version

1. Bring it to a simmer over low heat and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. DO NOT BOIL.

To Make the Alcoholic Version

1. Add 1 cup red wine either at the beginning (that‘s what I do) or at the end (so that the alcohol doesn’t evaporate too much).
2. Bring it to a simmer over low heat and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. DO NOT BOIL.

To Serve

1. Ladle the Mulled Cider into cups or mugs, straining out the spices with a fine-mesh strainer. Garnish each cup with an orange slice and one of the 4 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks and serve hot.

To Make Ahead

1. Mulled cider can be made 2 hours ahead; cover and store at room temperature, or chill up to 3 days. Reheat over medium-low heat before serving.

To Blend the Mulling Spices

1. Gather the spices. In this recipe, we use 8 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks, ¼ cup whole cloves, ¼ cup allspice berries, ⅓ cup dried orange peel, 2 Tbsp star anise, and 2 Tbsp cardamom pods. You can add nutmeg and peppercorn if you‘d like. Read more about these spices in the blog post.
2. To break up the cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, and star anise, put them in a large Ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
3. You can use a pestle and mortar, too. Once broken up, transfer to a large bowl (I use a mortar and a pestle).
4. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl.
5. Stir to combine and divide evenly into 3 sealable jars while mixing the ingredients as some spices tend to settle at the bottom of the bowl. Store in an airtight container for up to one year.