A hit at fall parties has always been a special hot cider recipe. It is easy to make for a large group of people and is always a crowd pleaser. The recipe below is for about 10 people and you can just increase the amount from there. We usually make it in a big lobster pot and let it boil away. Added bonus: It always makes the house smell AMAZING!
If you have kids, a fun project is putting cloves in the apples so they look like medieval torture devices.
Ingredients:
- 1 gallon of apple cider
- 2 apples (you want something firm… I usually use granny smith but anything works as long as it’s not super soft)
- 1 orange, sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons of whole cloves
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- ~4 tablespoons of cinnamon (I do this to taste since it depends on how strong the cinnamon is and if they added cinnamon to the cider you bought)
- 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg (or more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon allspice (or more to taste)
- Spiced Rum
Directions:
- Pour cider into a big pot and bring to a simmer
- While it is heating, poke cloves into the apples
- Add the cloved apples and the sliced oranges to the pot (it doesn’t have to be simmering yet, just add it whenever you are done slicing and assembling)
- Add the brown sugar and spices
- Let it simmer for at least 1 hour (the longer it simmers, the better it is)
- Taste it along the way and spice it up as you like it. If it’s not sweet enough, add more brown sugar.
- When you are ready to serve it, pour it into a hot cup and then add as much rum as you would like (don’t add it until right before drinking or else all the alcohol burns off… and what’s the fun in that?)
