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Apple Cider Recipes

September 27, 2016
Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
Apple cider is the perfect cool weather drink. Fruity but not overly sweet, it lends the perfect base for spice mixes and other bold-flavored ingredients. Skip store-bought cider mixes, which can be full of added sugars and preservatives. Instead, make yourself a custom drink by choosing a bold spice blend and adding ingredients like ginger or cranberry.  Whether you choose a dry cider or a bubbly bottle, these hard cider recipes will be a hit at your next Fall or Winter get-together. If wanting a kid-friendly version, just substitute in alcohol-free cider.
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Apple-Cranberry Holiday Wassail

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Apple-Cranberry Holiday Wassail

From spiked versions with rum to dressed up varieties infused with citrus, you'll love these recipes for homemade apple cider.

After slowly simmering, unattended, for several hours, this spice-infused cocktail is party ready. Serve straight from the crock (set temperature to "warm"). The drink will stay warm without cooking off the alcohol.

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Cider Doughnuts with Maple-Tahini Glaze

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Cider Doughnuts with Maple-Tahini Glaze

We make old-fashioned, cake-style cider doughnuts even more irresistible by adding maple frosting laced with nutty tahini. Look for tahini in the supermarket’s international aisle or at Mediterranean markets. It’s an incredibly versatile flavor booster, simple yet sophisticated, like peanut butter with a passport.

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Honey Cider Cocktails

Photo: Brian Woodcock; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
View Recipe: Honey Cider-Beer Cocktails

The cider-honey base of this fall beverage makes enough for both adult and kid twists: one with pale ale, the other with sparkling cider. Beer and cider are refreshing and lower in sugar and alcohol than stronger potions, which tend to go down a bit too easily. 

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Cider Sangria

Photo: Peter Frank Edwards
View Recipe: Cider Sangria

White wine may eventually lose its flavor after uncorking, but why waste it? Here, we perk up leftover wine with sparkling apple-cranberry cider and add fresh apples, pears, and grapes for an autumn-themed spin on the popular drink. 

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Spiced Caramel Cider

Photo: Oxmoor House
View Recipe: Spiced Caramel Cider

Snuggle up to a cozy fireplace with this warm, flavorful, and savory cider. If you'd prefer a beverage with less spice, try substituting apple juice for the apple cider. It's fantastic either way.

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Spiced Cider

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Spiced Cider

Don't forget the drinks! Welcome guests to your home with a warm cup of spiced cider spiked with brandy.

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Mulled Cranberry-Apple Cider

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Mulled Cranberry-Apple Cider

A swivel-bladed vegetable peeler works well for removing the orange peel. Be sure to remove only the colored part of the peel–which contains the flavorful oils–and no more; the white pith is bitter.

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Hot Spiced Cheer

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Hot Spiced Cheer

If you don't have cheesecloth, remove tea leaves from an ordinary tea bag, fill the empty bag with cloves and ginger, and tie it securely with the tea bag string: let the cinnamon sticks float separately while simmering. Serve in decorative punch bowl alongside a small pitcher of rum marked with a label or card. You may want to have an extra sachet and more of the cider mixture handy in case you have thirsty guests.

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Hot Mulled Cider

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Hot Mulled Cider

A steaming fragrant mug of this cider is a welcome treat on a brisk fall afternoon. Garnish with a cinnamon stick or lemon slice, if desired.

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Stone Fence

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Stone Fence

This take on the old New England drink features apple brandy rather than the usual rum. Substitute applejack or plain brandy, if you like.

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