Mother nature is really testing us this year. Well, I guess it does every year. I’m not sure what to make of the seemingly never ending winter, and then the sudden onset of summer, then skipping back to spring. After having had a bout of really nice weather, spring feels a bit cold. On any given day, I’d love a cup of hot cider, but with the recent colder weather, cider is even more welcome.
Back in the day, I bought a lot of hot ciders at Second Cup. Then I discovered powdered hot cider mix, and I stopped spending so much money at Second Cup. Despite having access to easy mix, nothing is as good as actual hot cider, with real ingredients and all.
A lot of recipes online call for whole cloves and cinnamon sticks that you simmer in a large pot of apple cider for 45 minutes or so, but when you live alone and want one quick cup, it seems like an awful lot of work. This recipe calls for ground spices instead to skip the long prep time, which means that the spice will settle with the pulp at the bottom of the mug. If that bothers you, you can always give it a good stir, but I didn’t notice a difference.
1 Cup Quick Hot Cider
Ingredients
1 cup bottled apple cider – the good stuff with the pulp that settles at the bottom
1/8 tsp (scant) ground cloves
1/8 tsp (scant) ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp unrefined sugar (optional)
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Slowly bring to a boil over low-medium to medium heat. Pour in a mug. You can add a cinnamon stick or a slice of apple to serve. This recipe can easily be multiplied to serve more.
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