mulled cider ingredients

The best mulled cider I ever had was last Christmas when I stumbled upon the heavenly Somerset Cider Brandy caravan – truly a caravan of love – in Covent Garden in London. I’d love to know how they make it, but I guess this recipe from Vigo Presses must be close:

• 1 litre cider
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 3 cloves
• 1 star anise
• pinch nutmeg
• small bit of bruised stem ginger
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• lemon juice to taste
• slug of Somerset Cider Brandy

Combine and simmer for 20 mins but do not boil.

Okay – I have actually made this now and it wasn’t as nice as the stuff I had last Christmas off Julian Temperley’s caravan in Covent Garden – but I was using an old bottle of Cornish scrumpy not fine Somerset cider. When most of it was gone I made a new batch with the same spices and used apple juice as well. It was delicious – especially with a nip of the aforementioned Somerset Cider Brandy.

We shared it with Marian the Custard Tart who spookily had just brought us the largest cinnamon stick I have ever seen – it must be 12 inches long. I was tempted to stir the spiced apple juice with it but will have to ponder on uses for it.