Cocktail Monday: Spiked Mulled Cider

It's cold outside.

At least that's what the weather man told me.  I've managed not to leave the house for the last 48 hours.  All that will change when I leave this afternoon, but I'm enjoying being inside with the radiators.

It's holiday time, and with the holidays come parties and merriment.

What better way to warm up your guests than with a nice steaming mug of mulled cider?

And should you choose, adding a shot of whiskey can make it even more warming.  Plus, it raises the merriment quotient quite a bit.  Merriment makes for a great party.

This is a simple idea, but you can easily make it your own.

Start by gently warming your favorite apple cider.

I added about 5 cloves and one cinnamon stick, but as you can see I wasn't making that much.  For a crowd, you might up that to 15 cloves and 3 cinnamon sticks.  It's really all about what you like.  Let that simmer on low for at least 15 minutes to let all the flavors meld.

Now for the good part.  The booze:

Add about a shot to the bottom of your mug.  As you can see, we used Jim Beam.  I happen to prefer Maker's Mark, but we didn't have that on hand.  You could also use rum, or brandy here.  Bourbon works well because of it's smoky caramel notes.

Add in a few ladels of hot cider:

And call it a cocktail.

If this doesn't warm you up, I don't know what will.

Playing,
Meredith