Hot Apple Cider (Mulled Apple Cider)

This delicious hot apple cider (also know as mulled apple cider) is an easy recipe that can be enjoyed by all. Made with apple cider and spiced to perfection, it’s the perfect drink for fall.

Hot apple cider (also known as mulled apple cider) is an absolutely delicious beverage to serve during the fall. While it can also be enjoyed any time of year, there’s something about the crisp autumn air that makes me absolutely crave cider.

In fact, in my humble opinion, one of the yummiest tastes and aromas of the season is a batch of mulled apple cider warming in a slow cooker or saucepan. Made with fragrant and flavorful seasonal spices, it’s sure to warm you up from the inside out.

After you discover the joy of putting together your own mulling spices, you will really enjoy making mulled apple cider. It’s easier than you think, and the result is a warm cup of the flavors of fall!

Apple and cinnamon are the quintessential flavors of fall. This drink is the ideal thing to serve at parties or when you want to curl up in a blanket and read a good book (or watch a Hallmark special—I won’t judge).

I also love to brew this mulled apple cider when I have guests over because it fills my kitchen with the most amazing aromas.

When you’re serving your hot apple cider, be certain your mug is designed to hold hot beverages. A coffee mug or glass tea mug works well.

Ingredients

There are only a handful of simple ingredients in this classic homemade hot drink. Here’s what you need to have when you make it:

• Apple Cider: In the fall, you can usually find gallons of it in the produce section, but I like to buy it from the local farmer’s market.
• Mulling Spices: Either make your own (highly recommended) or buy some pre-made mulling spices.
• Garnishes: Dried apple slices or dried orange peel are beautiful as garnishes.

How to Make

When it comes to hot apple cider, many people like to add spices for seasonal flavor and flair. That’s where mulling spices come in handy. I wrote all about mulling spices here and shared my recipe so you can make them at home.

To make mulled apple cider, you simply place the spices in the cider while it is warming up. This will give the cider a wonderful depth of flavor.

It’s important to note that while we want the flavor of these spices, we don’t want to actually drink them, similar to how you don’t want bits of coffee grinds in your morning brew.

There are a few different ways you can filter out the spices. First, you can add them to the cider in a fine mesh bag (how I usually do it). Or secondly, you could use a sieve over the mug when you are serving to filter out any bits of spice.

Don’t have any spices on hand? If you don’t have any at all, you can still make your hot apple cider a bit more special by just adding apple and orange slices, plus a few cinnamon sticks.

I promise those simple additions will amp up the flavor.

When it comes time to serve the mulled cider, have bottles of a few complementary alcohols nearby such as bourbon or brandy. Then you or your guests can add whatever they’d like to turn that hot apple cider into an easy fall cocktail.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some questions people often ask when it comes to making the best hot apple cider. If you don’t see your question in this list, please leave it in the comments.

Is hot apple cider alcoholic?

Yes and no – you can serve hot apple cider with or without alcohol. I recommend warming your fresh apple cider without adding any alcohol to it. (Warming hard cider or cider mixed with alcohol is likely to burn off some of the alcohol, which sort of defeats the purpose of it.)

What kind of alcohol goes in hot apple cider?

You can use whatever liquor you prefer. However, the most common ones for hot apple cider seem to be bourbon, brandy, spiced rum, and tequila. Personally, I like bourbon – Four Roses has become my go-to recently.

If none of those strike your fancy, I think a caramel vodka would be delightful, too!

How do you warm up apple cider?

I recommend using a heavy saucepan on the stove or a slow cooker.

If you’re looking to make plain hot apple cider, just pour the apple cider into the vessel you’ve chosen. If you’d like, you can toss in sliced apples to dress it up.

What’s in mulling spice?

These spices are a blend of seasonal ingredients, such as cinnamon, clove, allspice, and orange zest. Once you have a batch of mulling spices put together, you can use it to add flavor to things like apple cider, mulled wine, and even seasonal baked dishes.

You can grab my easy recipe for homemade mulling spices right here.

With all of that information, I think you’re ready to serve up this delicious fall beverage in whatever way YOU like it! And if you are looking for the ideal hot drink to serve at fall parties, this should be your go-to. It’s simple and tasty and makes your entire house smell like fall.

So whether you have plain hot apple cider or get spicy with mulled apple cider, enjoy a cup as we toast the beauty of autumn!

If you liked this recipe, you’ll love these too:

• Apple Cider Sidecar
• Slow Cooker Thanksgiving Sangria
• Apple Cinnamon Hot Toddy
• Harvest Apple Mule
• Apple Cider Sangria

Whether you call it mulled apple cider or hot apple cider, I hope you give this recipe a try. If you do, please leave a comment and a 5-star rating below. 

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Hot Apple Cider (Mulled Apple Cider)

Hot Apple Cider (also known as Mulled Apple Cider) is a delicious beverage to serve during the fall. Often made with fragrant and flavorful seasonal spices, it’s sure to warm you up from the inside out.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cider, hot apple cider, mulled apple cider, mulled cider

Ingredients

• 1/2 gallon fresh apple cider
• 2 tablespoons mulling spices
• apple slices, orange slices, and cinnamon sticks for garnish

Instructions

• Pour fresh apple cider in a heavy-bottom saucepan (or slow cooker) and set on medium-high heat.
• Place your mulling spices in a fabric bag and toss it into your pot. Stir occasionally, squeezing the bag of spices with a spoon like you would a tea bag.
• Heat the cider until it is hot and flavorful; then set the temperature on warm.
• Optional: Garnish the pot with apple and orange slices. Serve in a mug, garnished with a cinnamon stick.