Liana Krissoff

Mulled Cider or Wine

Preparation info

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • Makes about

    ½ gallon

    cider

Appears in

Slow Cook Modern

Slow Cook Modern

By Liana Krissoff

Published 2017

  • About

This is easily doubled for a party-appropriate batch, with some caveats: For a gallon (4 L) of cider, you’ll need to use a 6-quart (6.5-L) or larger slow cooker. And because it’ll take longer for the greater quantity of liquid to come to a simmer, you’ll need to either (a) start up the cooker earlier in the day and cook on high for 6 to 8 hours, or (b) preheat the cider or wine in a nonreactive pot on the stovetop, bringing it to just below a simmer before pouring it into the cooker and cooking on high for about 4 hours.

The recipe is also quite customizable. I sometimes add a couple of pieces of star anise and ½ teaspoon black peppercorns for a little more kick. A knot of lemongrass or a small piece of vanilla bean would be nice additions to either the cider or the wine. And ¼ cup (60 ml) Cointreau, added just before serving, would not be unwelcome in the mulled wine.

Ingredients

  • ½ gallon (2 L) apple cider or 1 (750-ml) bottle red wine
  • ⅓ cup (75 g) packed dark brown sugar, or more to taste
  • ½ navel orange, sliced into rounds
  • ½ lemon, sliced into rounds
  • 2 coins peeled fresh ginger (optional)
  • 3 cinnamon sticks, plus more for serving, if you’d like
  • 2 teaspoons whole cloves
  • 2 teaspoons whole allspice berries
  • 1 teaspoon green cardamom pods
  • ½ nutmeg

Method

Put the cider or wine in the slow cooker and stir in the brown sugar. Add the orange and lemon slices, and the ginger, if using. Put the cinnamon, cloves, allspice, cardamom, and nutmeg in a muslin or cheesecloth bag, pound the bag with a mortar or a heavy pot to coarsely crush the spices inside, and drop the bag into the cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours.

Taste and stir in more brown sugar, if needed. Ladle into mugs (avoiding the bag and the citrus slices) and serve hot from the cooker on the low or keep-warm setting. If you’d like, add a cinnamon stick stirrer to each mug.

© 2017 All rights reserved. Published by Abrams Books.