From the Maffini Elves aka Victoria Abbott
HOT MULLED CIDER
Everyone around here seems to love getting together for
drinks and snacks all through the festive season. This wonderfully scented beverage does the
trick for any one. Kids like it
too! It was the ‘house’ Christmas drink
at our annual party at Prime Crime mystery bookstore for many years. Now it’s a
staple at Maffini parties and open houses.
It came from a spiral bound cookbook and now all that remains is that
one page. You can tinker with the proportions – sometimes we get the juice proportions
backwards! We usually use the lower
sugar varieties of juice and brown sugar.
It is really delicious and smells like Christmas to us. And have we mentioned that it’s quite pretty
too? Enjoy! Your guests will.
1 ½ quart cranberry juice or cocktail (can use low sugar
varieties too)
2 quarts fresh apple cider
½ brown sugar (or Splenda brown)
½ tsp salt
4 whole cinnamon sticks
½ tsp whole cloves
1 dash nutmeg
1 dash allspice
Combine the juices in a large electric coffeemaker (that one you've owned for twenty years or more) and put
the other ingredients in the basket.
Perk through the cycle. Remove
the basket before you serve it to prevent sludge. We are pretty sure this would be fine heated in a large pot with the spices and brown sugar tied up in cheesecloth.
This fragrant beverage is a big hit in this season. You can reheat the leftovers in a pot if
there are any and give yourself a treat when your guests are gone.
We find the best way to clean the pot after this is to
‘perk’ through a full pot of clean water.
Hope your Christmas was wonderful and your New Year is full of great food and loveable people and pets.
XOXO
MJ and Victorian and pooches!
