Name: Easy Mulled Cider
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 litre (1.75) pints cider ( (hard cider)); 300 ml (1 1/4) cups apple juice; 4 tbsp Calvados; 8 tbsp light brown sugar; zest of 1 orange (peeled into thick strips); 3 mulled fruit teabags (see my recommendations below); thin slices of unpeeled clementines; fresh cranberries (they'll be too sour to eat, but they look very pretty)

The easiest mulled cider – using mulled fruit teabags instead of individual spices. This mulled cider has a lovely warming, spiced flavour with an extra hit of apple brandy!
Definitely one for the grown-ups only!

2 glass mugs filled with mulled cider. There are clementine slices and cranberries in the cider and the mugs are on a wooden table. The front mug has a gold teaspoon in it.

Whenever I used to go to a Christmas market, I always used to get a Glühwein, and really try to like it. But to be honest, I would find it a little strong and sometimes too acidic.
In recent years, I’ve noticed mulled cider is becoming more common, and I found that to be so much more palatable!

Sweet, tangy, spiced and warming – the perfect drink to warm your hands and belly on a cold Winter day!

This is my quick and easy recipe – using mulled fruit teabags. It’s so much easier than fiddling with spice bags and squeezing out muslins.

📋 What do we need?

Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Cider (hard/alcoholic cider) – I like to use a nice fruity cider – such as Misty Maid or Cornish Orchards
Apple juice – a good quality cloudy apple juice is best
Apple brandy/Calvados
Light brown sugar
Orange zest
Mulled fruit teabags (see my recommendations in the notes section of the recipes card below)

👩‍🍳PRO TIP You can easily double or triple this recipe, sticking to the same ingredient ratios and same cooking times, to serve more people.

2 glass mugs filled with mulled cider. There are clementine slices and cranberries in the cider and the mugs are on a wooden table.

🍽️ What to serve it with

Frangipane mince pies
Warm sausage rolls
Amaretti cookies
Bottom-of-the-chocolate-box brownies
A nice wedge of fruity Christmas cake

I love to serve my mulled cider with slices of clementine and a small handful of fresh cranberries. Although don’t eat the cranberries – they’re very pretty, but definitely on the sour side when they’re raw!

Overhead image of two glass mugs filled with mulled cider, cranberries and clementine slices on a wooden table. There is a clementine sliced in half next to the mugs.

🍲 More festive drinks

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Square image of 2 glass mugs filled with mulled cider. There are clementine slices and cranberries in the cider and the mugs are on a wooden table.

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5 from 1 vote

Easy Mulled Cider

By Nicky Corbishley

Ready in 10 minutes, this warming mulled cider is so simple to make. I'm using mulled fruit teabags, instead of individual spices for the ultimate simplicity.

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 15

Servings: 6 small cups

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: British

Ingredients

▢ 1 litre (1.75) pints cider (hard cider)
▢ 300 ml (1 1/4) cups apple juice
▢ 4 tbsp Calvados
▢ 8 tbsp light brown sugar
▢ zest of 1 orange peeled into thick strips
▢ 3 mulled fruit teabags see my recommendations below

To Serve:

▢ thin slices of unpeeled clementines
▢ fresh cranberries they’ll be too sour to eat, but they look very pretty

Instructions

Add everything to a pan.
1 litre (1.75) pints cider, 300 ml (1 1/4) cups apple juice, 4 tbsp Calvados, 8 tbsp light brown sugar, zest of 1 orange, 3 mulled fruit teabags
Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the mulled fruit teabags and orange peel.
Serve immediately, or keep warm over a low heat until ready to serve.
Serve topped with slices of clementine and fresh cranberries
thin slices of unpeeled clementines, fresh cranberries

Notes

Cider

Use your favourite variety of cider. I like a nice fruit cider, but you can go dry, sweet or anything in between.

My favourite varieties are:

Misty Maid
Sandford Orchards
Cornish Orchards Gold
Thatchers Vintage
Henry Westons Vintage

Mulled Fruit Teabags

You can use any mulled fruit style teabag. My favourites are:

M&S Mulled Fruit Infusion Teabags – this is the one I use for this recipe the most
Pukka Winter Warmer Teabags
Teapigs Glühwein teabags

Nutritional information is approximate, per small (225ml) cup.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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