Spiked Hot Apple Cider - Easy Mulled Apple Cider Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

What alcohol is good for mulled cider? ›

Bourbon, brandy, or even a dark aged rum have enough oomph to stand up to the sweet flavors of the spices and apple cider. As to when to add in the booze, it's best to wait until the mulling spices have flavored everything first.

Apple cider has a natural affinity for dark spirits, and bourbon is a classic. While you could load this up with all kinds of winter spice, we keep things simple: cider, spirit, a little honey to balance the booze, and a cinnamon stick to garnish.

Sugar. Apple juice usually contains enough sugar to produce a hard cider containing 4 to 6% alcohol. If you want a cider with a higher alcohol content, you can add sugar, honey, or maple syrup at the beginning of the fermentation process.

Mulled apple cider is unfiltered apple juice that's been heated and flavored with mulling spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and allspice; and fruits like oranges, lemons, and apples. I'll also add a little dark rum if it's just us grown ups enjoying a round of apple cider co*cktails!

The cider should be a medium brown color and cloudy. The cloudiness indicates the juice hasn't undergone the filtering process, leaving the rich apple flavour pulp in the juice. Skip the commercially available brands and go straight for the good stuff: whole spices in the spice aisle.

Apple cider is apple juice that has not been filtered and still contains all the apple pieces, pulp, and sediment. It is the raw, purer version of apple juice. To make an alcoholic cider, yeast is added which converts the sugar into alcohol. Simple right? Hard cider is the adult version of apple cider.

With the goal of consuming the alcohol, any evaporated alcohol is a small affront to the holiday season. But fear not, hot cider, hot toddy, and mulled wine lovers: Around 85 percent of your beloved alcohol will survive the heating process.

For apple cider, I think whiskey, rum and some flavoured gins are delicious. Can you just heat up apple cider? Yes, you could absolutely choose a hard, alcoholic cider for this recipe.

STYLE. " Strong cider" means cider to which may be added, before or during manufacture, sugar or juice of which the finished product has a residual sugar content of not more than 110 g per liter and a an alcoholic strength of more than 7% and not more than 15% alcohol by volume; Save Cancel.

Many cidermakers will boost the character by adding sugars like maple syrup or brown sugar. This will boost alcohol level and add a hint of molasses as well. Winemaker's acid blend (or malic acid) available at your local homebrew shop is a great way to add some complexity to hard cider that lacks that crisp bite.

Can regular apple cider turn into alcohol? ›

Fresh apple cider doesn't contain alcohol. It's possible for unpasteurized cider to ferment over time and become alcoholic, creating hard apple cider. If you don't want your cider to become alcoholic, then it's best to drink it within two weeks of making it.

Cider can be either very mild or very strong. It can be sweet or dry. It can most definitely get you drunk. Any alcohol over the 0.05 “non alcoholic” beer can get you drunk in sufficient quantities.

Dark liquors like bourbon (my pick) or dark rum are traditional, but they are by no means the only option. Vodka pairs well with apple cider and is a good light option. You can even let guests each pick their own.

Between day 9 and 12 of active fermentation the cider loses all apple flavor and becomes bitter.

I prefer bourbon but whiskey or a dark rum with caramel flavors would also work wonderfully. What kind of bourbon goes in spiked apple cider? I used Makers Mark for this recipe which is one of my favorite bourbon brands. However, other brands I also recommend Four Roses or Woodford Reserve as other great options.

Sure, the apple will always shine through, but if you want to tone it down, then go with a bourbon like Four Roses or Bulleit. But if you'd like something a little sweeter that would make your cider taste more like apple pie, we'd recommend Maker's Mark or Pappy Van Winkle (if you can score a bottle of it).

You could certainly drink it as-is at this point, but if you want the kick… then proceed with the dark rum. It's a fabulous complement to the flavors in the apple cider mixture and tastes oh-so-delicious going down. Grab your coziest blanket and your favorite mug… cheers!

A simple and tasty aperitif, vodka and apple juice is an elegant, tart mixed drink that can be garnished with a slice of apple for extra effect.

Spiking Mulled Cider

Add alcohol to a single mug or the batch of cider after cooking so the alcohol doesn't cook off.