Spiked Apple Cider co*cktail Recipe - The Anthony Kitchen (2024)

Fill the house with the welcoming, sweet scent of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and orange, and have ready the spiced rum, bourbon, or whiskey on stand-by for spiking. There's not a more delicious way to ring in the holidays than with a cozy cup of this Spiked Apple Cider in hand!

It's a boozy twist on mulled cider, and it's perfect for slow sipping over great conversation. Easy to make (and make-ahead) holiday co*cktails don't get better than this. There's no shaking, no last-minute squeezing, and you can make one big batch to last you the whole evening. Yes, please.

Need a little something for the kids as well? No problem. The mulled cider portion of this recipe is crazy delicious all on its lonesome, even without the booze! Just set some unadulterated cider aside for the little ones, and use our single-serving co*cktail option for the grown-ups!

Looking for more amazing co*cktails to add to your holiday line-up? Bookmark our Spiked Hot Chocolate or Mulled Winefor next time!

WHAT IS MULLED APPLE CIDER?

Mulled Cider is apple cider that has been simmered and steeped with other ingredients such like citrus, brown sugar, and sweet-scented, warming spices. It is the base for the co*cktail, Spiked Apple Cider.

The spices you'll most often find in mulled beverages are cinnamon, clove, and allspice. It is important that the spices go in whole and not ground for steeping purposes (with the exception of freshly grated nutmeg as a finishing touch).

HOW TO MAKE SPIKED APPLE CIDER

The first step on your [very short and easy] journey to the perfect cold-weather co*cktail is to make the mulled cider. Once you have this under your belt, move on to the second step and turn it into a co*cktail!

1. MAKE THE MULLED CIDER

• Combine Ingredients - Add apple cider, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, star anise, and orange peel to a saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Simmer - Once the mixture comes to a simmer, you can remove it from the heat and start spiking! However, if you'd like to get every last drop of flavor out of those spices and the orange peel, you can reduce the heat to a medium-low and let it go for up to 30 minutes. Avoid letting the mixture go too long over the heat, or the sweetness will intensify and it could become cloying to the palate.
• Remove Spices - Once you've got your cider right where you want it, remove the spices and the orange, and it's on to the booze!

Speaking of apple cider, our apple cider sangria is another favorite around here come Fall!

2. ADD THE BOOZE

When the mulled cider is ready to your liking, it's time to spike it! You can do this by adding rum, bourbon, or whiskey, or you can make a next-level rendition and give it a little boost using a fun liqueur. We'll talk more about these options below.

HOW TO SPIKE A BATCH MULLED CIDER (SERVES 6-8)

To spike 1 quart of mulled cider (as called for in the recipe), you can add one cup of either spiced rum, bourbon, or whiskey straight to pot.

However, if you are using the suggested liqueur as well, you'll probably want to cut the rum or whisky quantity in half. Then, add 1 cup of ginger liqueur in addition to the [now] half cup of liquor.

SINGLE SERVING SPIKED CIDER co*ckTAILS

If you'd like to allow guests to mix up their own co*cktails, just set a bottle (or bottles) next to the cider, and kindly give your guests a bit of instruction as to how to craft the co*cktail of their dreams.

First, add the booze:

• If using only liquor, add 1 ounce of either spiced rum, bourbon, or whiskey.
• If using both the liquor and the liqueur, add 1 ounce of ginger liqueur and only a ½ ounce of liquor.

Then, top it all off with a ladleful (about a ½ cup) of mulled cider, and enjoy!

co*ckTAIL MEASUREMENT HELP

• 1 quart = 4 cups or a ¼ gallon
• 8 ounces = 1 cup
• 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons
• ½ ounce = 1 tablespoon

CAN I MAKE THIS IN THE SLOW COOKER?

Yes! Add all of the ingredients (except the booze) into a crock-pot and cook on low for about 3 hours. Once all the flavors have melded and you're ready for the party, simply add the rum (bourbon or whiskey), and the liqueur (if using it), stir, and serve!

CAN I MAKE THIS co*ckTAIL AHEAD OF TIME?

If you'd like to make the mulled cider in advance and heat it up just before serving, feel free to do so! It can be kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days (with or without the spices).

Just heat it in the microwave or on the stovetop before serving, and add in your booze of choice once it has heated through.

ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS

Apple Cider | First and foremost, make sure you get a good, quality bottle of apple cider. High-quality cider is typically cloudy in appearance and found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Note, this recipe does not call for hard cider, which is a product is already spiked. We are going to do the spiking ourselves.

Sugar | While apple cider is plenty sweet, it is also very tart, and adding a little sugar to the mix offsets that puckering acidity. You can use light or dark brown sugar, but don't try to sub in white, granulated sugar. Brown sugar really is best, as it will lend a caramel-y, full-bodied sweetness to the beverage.

Citrus | It's amazing what a little fresh citrus can do to a co*cktail, and this Spiked Apple Cider gets a double dose of it! Lemon juice will add a fresh burst of acidity to the co*cktail and the freshly peeled strips of orange are absolutely perfect in combination with those sweet and warming spices.

Spices | The spices we'll be using to whip up the mulled cider are cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, and star anise. Be sure you are using whole spices, and not ground. If you are not familiar with star anise, know it gives off a mild (but pleasant) licorice flavor. It's very pretty and you might find it tempting to go overboard, so it's best you're warned beforehand -- a little bit goes a long way. If you happen to be out of either cloves or allspice, you can just double up on whichever one is in the cupboard for this recipe.

Alcohol | In recipe development, we used Captain Morgan's Private Stock Rum, but as mentioned above, any spiced rum, bourbon, or whiskey of your liking will do. We also used Domaine de Canton in this Spiked Apple Cider co*cktail, and it was balanced, smooth-sipping, and positively delicious. Every single one of our taste-testers was in full agreement!

5 MORE FESTIVE co*ckTAILS YOU’LL LOVE

• Fall Pear Spritzer
• Mudslide co*cktail
• Chocolate Martini
• Cranberry Mimosas
• Pomegranate Martini