Slow Cooker Mulled Cider

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Slow Cooker Mulled Cider is a delicious hot beverage that is perfect for making and enjoying during the fall and winter months.

September 30th is National Mulled Cider Day. Celebrate by making your very own homemade slow cooker mulled cider! Share this cider with everyone around you. It’s such a delicious, warm-you-up beverage! Share your mulled cider on social media by using the hashtag #NationalMulledCiderDay, #MulledCiderDay and #RecipesForHolidays. Be sure to keep an eye on my October Food Holidays page so you can keep track of all the food holidays in the month of October.

“The heat of autumn is different than the heat of summer. One ripens apples, the other turns them into cider.”

-Jane Hirshfield

The History of Mulled Cider:

Mulled Wine (spiced and heated wine) dates back to 2nd century Rome.

Mulled Cider is a descendant of Wassail- an old English beverage made from roasted apples. Wassail means, “good health.” The story goes that a young maiden presented the drink to Prince Vortigen saying “waes hael” in a toast. The term wassailing refers to the act of the pewter bowl of wassail being carried into the room with a grande display of singing and serving.

Originally, wassail was made from mulled ale, curdled cream, roasted apples, eggs, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and sugar.

Nowadays, there isn’t a difference between mulled cider and wassail. It has evolved into a non alcoholic, warmed and spiced apple cider.

Ingredients needed:

• apple cider
• oranges
• lemons
• cinnamon sticks
• brown sugar
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• cloves

How to make Slow Cooker Mulled Cider:

Add apple cider to your slow cooker insert. Add slices oranges and lemons, cinnamon sticks and brown sugar. Heat on high for two hours. Then sprinkle in some cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Simmer on low for another hour.

Add the slow cooker mulled cider to mugs, and garnish with fruit and perhaps a cinnamon stick.

Move over hot chocolate! Grab a cup or two of slow cooker mulled cider, and plan a wassailing tour around your neighborhood this fall!

Fun Facts About Mulled Cider:

• Hot mulled cider is a popular beverage to make during the fall and winter months.
• Mulled cider is now a popular beverage to make and enjoy on Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
• Wassail (a hot mulled cider) was served while wassailing, a medieval southern English drinking ritual intended to ensure a good cider apple harvest the following year. These ceremonies still exist today!
• Wassailing is now used as a verb describing caroling from house to house during the holidays.
• The combination of spices varies, but it usually consists of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Sometimes star anise is added in too. It can include fresh or dried fruit- apples, oranges or orange zest, lemons and raisins).
• References to wassail and wassailing appear in many songs from rock bands and folk singers.
• Wassail has been mentioned on television too- making appearances on Mystery Science Theater, the Frank Sinatra Show, The Simpsons, Frasier and Alton Brown’s Good Eats.