When we orignally made our mulling blend, we thought of the movie "It's a Wonderful Life." Jimmy Stewart's angel asked the bartender for a glass of mulled wine, "heavy on the cinnamon, easy on the cloves." He got it exactly right, as too many cloves can overpower the other spices and make the overall flavor somewhat bitter. We made our blend exactly to the angel's instructions!
In addition to hot apple cider, the mulling spices are wonderful to make mulled red wine (use 1 tablespoon per 750 ml bottle) or holiday brandy.
The most convenient way to use the spices are to place them in a muslin bag. Place the bag of spices in water, and simmer for about 15 minutes (you are doing this to release the essential oils in the spices). Dump out water, leaving spice bag in the pot, and add the apple cider. Heat until cider is hot. Pour cider into cups and garnish each cup with a cinnamon stick stirrer. The spicy flavor will increase the longer it sits.
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Submit YoursThe mulling spice in the little muslin bags make perfect "quick hand out gifts" for the holidays. I printed thick paper "quadrants" and tied them with ribbon onto the bags w/ the Angel quote from It's a Wonderful Life and the mulled spice cider recipe. People immediately smelled the spice and exclaimed,"It smells like Christmas". Just the aroma brought so much delight to others. This year I will add the mulled whipped cream recipe on the back of the card. It's an affordable way for me to hand out a little something to many especially at work, friends and neighbors. Mahalo Spice House! I discovered you on a visit from the fair state of Hawaii.
It was a comforting, warm and inviting drink. The amount of spice was just right. My house smells amazing!
When I first started looking into how to make spiced cider, I thought of The Spice House, and I'm glad I did. I loved this! I thought the blend of spices were absolutely perfect. The cider was spiced without being overwhelming. I will be buying more to give as gifts. I am also looking forward to trying this with wine.