Sometimes referred to as “wassail,” mulled cider signals a long tradition of wishing holiday guests a joyous season and excellent health. It is seen as a sure-fire antidote to any encroaching winter blues and not only is it delicious; it’s also marvelously fragrant. Also mulled cider is a fabulous beverage to share and nearly demands a party. You can make it with apple juice, a tart sparkling cider, or even add Madeira to make it, well, a wee bit boozy.
Recipes for mulled cider can become intricate and time-consuming. However, St. Nick’s has a couple of shortcuts that are easy and delicious. One is a “Cider Fixin’s” citrus rind that is ready to go with allspice, cinnamon and all the ideal ingredients for making a delicious punch; in fact, the makers of this product suggest a splash of Brandy added to apple juice to warm up your holiday evenings. (Sounds delicious!)
St. Nick’s offers yet another easy way to prepare warm holiday beverages. Namely, we suggest using our Original Aspen Mulling Spice Blend to cut back on prep time. It’s deeply fragrant with cinnamon, allspice, and cloves — and allows you to have optimum fun experimenting with your own favorite blends of apple juice, cider, red wines, or brandies. In fact, this particular blend is so delicious that it’s ideal to use in a recipe for Christmas cookies as well. See the recipe below.
Gingersnap Cookies
Preheat Oven to 325 degrees.
Cream together ¾ cup of butter with 1 cup of Aspen Mulling Spices and 1 cup sugar
Stir in: 2 well-beaten eggs, ½ cup molasses, 2 teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar
Sift and add: 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda, and 3 teaspoons ginger
Mix ingredients until well-blended and form into 3/4 – inch balls. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for about 12 minutes. The balls will melt during the baking process and develop a crinkled texture.
Enjoy!
