Hot Mulled Cranberry and Apple Cider - Pink Saturday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's been a very good week and, if you'll forgive the pun, "everything's coming up roses" for One Perfect Bite. Saveur has given us another nod and our recipe for Pumpkin Butter is featured on their site. I also have to thank the folks at FriendsEAT.com for listing One Perfect Bite as one of their choices for the top 25 foodie blogs. I'm thrilled to be included in the company of such fabulous food bloggers. Click here to view the 25 blogs they've featured on their site. You and I know I don't belong there, but let's keep that our little secret and hope they don't catch on. Now it's back to work. I wanted to make some special, yet simple, today and this recipe came to mind. It's a slightly different take on the mulled cider that's served so often at this time of year. As you can see, it's a thing of beauty and I'm happy to report it's also delicious. Cider is a relative of wine and it was common in England well before the birth of Christ. As a matter of fact, there was a time when English peasants, pagans of course, considered apple trees to be sacred and worshipped them. That might be explained by the fact that the cider they drank was allowed to ferment and had alcohol in it. Fast forward with me to America and the founding of the New England colonies. Apple cider was enormously popular here as well. It was a favorite drink of the pilgrims who would denounce hard spirits while they sipped their cider, which was allowed to ferment and, of course, had alcohol in it. Who knew? Today's recipe combines a sparkling apple cider, cranberry juice and a few mulling spices. It gets an assist from a small amount of brandy which takes it up a notch or two. There are no tricks or special tips to making a good mulled cider. The only caution is to never let it boil and to be sure to strain the finished cider through cheese cloth or a coffee filter. The cider can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week. I always warm it before serving.Here's the recipe for an almost effortless holiday treat.

Hot Mulled Cranberry and Apple Cider...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 bottle (25.4-oz.) sparkling apple cider
1-1/2 cups cranberry juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons brandy
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
Grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
Garnish: Apple slices and fresh cranberries

Directions:
1) Combine cider, cranberry juice, sugar, brandy, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon stick, lemon zest and orange zest in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, just to combine flavors; do not boil.
2) Strain and serve warm. Garnish with apple slices and cranberries if desired.
Yield: 6 servings.

You might also like these cider recipes:
Savory Sweet Life - Spiced Hot Apple Cider
Delish - Fireside Mulled Cider
The Way the Cookie Crumbles - Mulled Cider

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound