Thanksgiving beverage: Hot spiced cran-apple cider
Living in an area where apples orchards are plentiful, I have come to use a variety of mulled and hot cider recipes, sometimes mixed with juice. This is one of them, and is wonderful all throughout autumn, even up until Christmastime.
One of the things I have learned, is that if a particular orchard has a type of cider you like, you can easily freeze it into cubes and store those in a ziplock bag. Then whenever fancy strikes you, you defrost some of those for drinks.
Of course, if you like iced cider (and I know we do!) using the cubes to chill your drink is a great way to ice it down without watering it down. If you don’t drink a lot of cider over the season – drink what you like and freeze the rest – besides being good to thaw for drinks or use as ice, using apple cider in your cooking is a wonderful way to add natural sweetness and flavor to things such as braised sausages, cooked greens, and pan-fried pork chops. Try it and see!
Hot spiced cran-apple cider
1 quart apple cider
1 quart cranberry juice cocktail
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1. Mix all ingredients together in a large pan.
2. Heat over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and serve warm.
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