Hot Spiced Cider

For the next several months, my house will smell like hot, spiced cider about 75% of the time. This is the easiest way to create atmosphere that I know….and we love drinking this kind of cider.

Here’s how I do it:

Hot Spiced Cider

I start by shopping for vast quantities of apple cider or juice on sale. A good sale is $.99 for a two quart (64 fluid ounces) bottle. It doesn’t matter if you get apple juice or apple cider. By the time you’re done doctoring it, it’s delicious and cider-y.

In my crockpot I put:

• 1 1/2 bottles of cider or apple juice
• 1/3 can of frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1 large orange, sliced into 1/4 inch wheels
• cloth or mesh bag filled with
  • 1/8 c. whole cloves
  • 2 whole cinnamon sticks
  • 1/8 c. whole allspice

Simmer all these things together for at least an hour. You can leave the crock pot on for hours if you want to; it will make your house smell wonderful. If you’re in a hurry, you can jumpstart this by bringing all these ingredients to a boil in a large stock pot on the stove and then transferring it to the crockpot.

Having a small mesh or cloth bag for the spices isn’t strictly necessary if you don’t mind the stray clove getting into your cup of cider. It’s just easier for the boys to serve themselves if they aren’t dodging those spices with the ladle.

Barb