Wellness Origin HubHot spiced apple cider with cinnamon, cloves and orange
How to make hot spiced apple cider without alcohol: cloudy apple juice simmered gently with cinnamon, cloves, star anise and orange for a warm autumn drink.
Hot spiced apple cider is cloudy apple juice warmed slowly with whole spices and orange until the kitchen smells of autumn. It takes about 25 minutes, almost all of it hands-off, and makes four mugs of a sweet, warming, caffeine-free drink.
A word on the name. In North America, "apple cider" usually means fresh, unfiltered apple juice, and "hard cider" is the alcoholic one. In Britain and most of Europe, cider is always alcoholic. This recipe uses the non-alcoholic kind: look for cloudy or pressed apple juice, the type that looks like thin apple purée rather than clear amber.
Warm spiced apple drinks have a long history. In England, the wassail bowl of hot ale or cider with roasted apples and spice was passed around in the dark weeks around Christmas, and mulled cider is still sold at winter markets. Across New England and Canada, a pot of hot mulled cider is a fixture of autumn fairs and Halloween evenings.
How to make it
- Stick the cloves into two or three of the orange slices, so they are easy to fish out later.
- Pour the apple juice into a saucepan and add the orange slices, cinnamon sticks, star anise, allspice and ginger, if using.
- Warm over a medium-low heat until small bubbles appear at the edge, then turn the heat down so the surface barely trembles.
- Keep it at that gentle heat for 15 to 20 minutes, without letting it boil.
- Taste. Add the maple syrup only if the cider tastes thin or sharp.
- Strain into mugs, or ladle it out and leave the spices in the pot. Add a fresh cinnamon stick to each mug if you like.
Tips for the best flavour
- Choose cloudy juice. Clear apple juice works, but cloudy juice has more body and a fresher apple taste. A sharp variety, such as Bramley or a mix with Granny Smith, keeps the drink from tasting like sweets.
- Do not boil it. Hard boiling drives off the aroma and can make the spices taste harsh. A gentle simmer is all it needs.
- Use whole spices. Ground cinnamon and cloves turn the cider muddy and gritty. Whole spices give a clear drink and are easy to strain out.
- Go easy on the cloves. Eight cloves are plenty for a litre. More, and the cider starts to taste medicinal.
- Sweeten last. Apple juice is already sweet, often around 10 g of sugar per 100 ml. Taste before adding anything.
Spices at a glance
| Spice | What it adds | How much per litre |
|---|---|---|
| Cinnamon sticks | Warm, sweet backbone | 2 |
| Cloves | Deep, slightly numbing spice | 6 to 8 |
| Star anise | Soft liquorice note | 1 to 2 |
| Allspice berries | Peppery, clove-like warmth | 3 to 5 |
| Fresh ginger | Gentle heat | 2 to 4 thin slices |
| Orange | Brightness and a bitter edge from the peel | 1 orange |
Variations
- Less sweet: use half apple juice and half water or brewed rooibos, then add a squeeze of lemon. Rooibos has a natural honeyed taste that suits apple.
- Cranberry: replace a quarter of the apple juice with unsweetened cranberry juice for a sharper, redder drink.
- Chai-spiced: add three crushed cardamom pods and a few black peppercorns, borrowing from our masala chai.
- Slow cooker: put everything in a slow cooker on low for two hours, then keep it on the warm setting for a party.
- Cold: chill leftover spiced cider and serve it over ice with a splash of soda water.
Make ahead and storage
Use the buttons beside the ingredients to scale the pot for a crowd. Once strained, spiced cider keeps in a closed jar in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat it gently in a pan or by the mug in the microwave. Do not leave the spices in overnight: the cloves in particular turn bitter after a few hours.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between apple cider and apple juice?
In the United States, apple cider is raw or lightly treated pressed apple juice that has not been filtered, so it is cloudy and tastes fresher. Apple juice is usually filtered and pasteurised so it is clear and keeps longer. Outside North America, the closest match to American cider is cloudy pressed apple juice.
Is hot apple cider healthy?
It is a fruit juice, so it carries the natural sugar of the apples without much of their fibre. A mug is a pleasant treat on a cold evening rather than a health drink. Our guide to sugar in drinks puts the numbers in context, and watering it down with a little hot water or tea is an easy way to make each mug lighter.
Can I make it with alcohol?
This version is non-alcoholic. Traditional mulled cider in England is made with alcoholic cider warmed the same way, but if you serve both at a party, keep them in clearly separate pots.
For another warm mug on dark evenings, try our Mexican hot chocolate with cinnamon, or look through the small habits that make winter easier.
Photograph: AI-generated image
