Here's an easy homemade holiday gift idea for everyone on your list. Combine spices in jars to create a tasty mulled cider spice mix. It can also be used for mulled wine or a room fragrance that simmers on the stove.
If you enjoy making some homemade goodness for people on your holiday list this mulling spice aka "Wassail" recipe is a good one.
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Making a Mulled Cider Spice Mix
You may already have cinnamon sticks in your arsenal, I certainly did. Instead of buying cinnamon chips just go to town with a wooden mallet and take all the days' frustration out on the bag. Soon you will have plenty of cinnamon chips for your spice blend.
What Goes into a Mulling Spice Mix?
I'm using cinnamon chips, orange peel, allspice, cloves, and pink peppercorns but you can vary this recipe based on what you have or what you like. Some people use cardamom pods, star anise, or other types of peppercorns. You could also use different kinds of citrus peels such as lemon or lime.
How to Make Hot Mulled Cider
All you need is about 3 tablespoons of the mulling spice mix to 1 gallon of fresh apple cider. Drop the spices directly into the pot as shown above or place them in a tea ball or drawstring tea bag to fish out later. Simmer the spices in the cider on medium to low heat for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
What About Mulled Wine?
You can use the same spices to a bottle of red wine to make a delicious mulled wine. I'd cut down the amount to about 1 tablespoon of spice mix to a standard 750ml bottle of red wine. Also, you can use a relatively cheap wine as spices will probably over-shadow any nuances from an expensive wine.
Stovetop Potpourri or Room Freshener
Use a small amount of the spice mix recipe in a pot of water and simmer it on the stove or in a slow cooker when you want your house to smell good.
Store the mulling spices in pretty glass jars as shown above or bag them up for gits. Add a little drawstring tea bag if you want as part of the gift.
You can use the round label for jars.
Or these rectangular labels for bags. Just click on the images.
How many people do you want to thank this holiday season? Maybe a bag or jar of mulling spices would be the perfect gift to give.
More Homemade Drink Mix Gifts
Mulling Spices for Cider
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups cinnamon stick pieces
- 1.5 cups orange rind peel cut up
- 1.75 cups whole cloves
- 1.5 cups allspice berries
- 1 cup pink peppercorns
Instructions
- Combine all the spices in a large bowl.
- Fill each jar with spices leaving a little room at the top for a drawstring teabag.
- Fold up the teabag and place it on top.
- Print out labels for recipe instructions and glue them on top of jars.
- To use place 3 tablespoons of mix in a bag or tea ball, or directly in one gallon of apple cider in a large pot on the stove.
- Simmer for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although attempts have been made to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Luann
Hello, about how many 6 oz. jars of the mix will one recipe make? Sorry if I missed this info. Thanks
Patti Estep
I'm sorry Luann, I ended up using a combination of the jars and the bags. I didn't keep track of exactly how many containers I used. I'm pretty sure you'll get enough to fill all 12 jars with more leftover for bags or other containers. Probably closer to 24 jars when leaving space for the teabag.
Megan Hayes
Is one serving a jar and if so how big of a jar? Thanks!
Patti Estep
Megan, I used 6 oz jars to package the spice mix. It holds about 10 tablespoons. I suggest using only one tablespoon for a standard bottle of red wine and 3 tablespoons for a gallon of cider. However, you can vary that amount depending on your taste.
Kim Platt
Can you tell me what font you used for the label?
Patti Estep
Kim, the font is called "Mountains of Christmas." for the title Mulling Spices, and Geo Sans Light for the directions
Cindi
Hi Patti! Quick questions- did you dry the orange rind or can it go in fresh? The recipe says 10 servings but how much in each serving? I want to make 12 small jars of the mix for gifts for my book club. Thanks and have a Happy Thanksgiving.
Patti Estep
Cindi, you can use whatever combo you want. That was just a gauge for the jars that I used. Also, I would be concerned about using fresh orange rind because it could turn moldy from the moisture while it's in the container. I'd dry it out first. You could try placing it on a cookie sheet in a very low oven to speed up the drying process.
Kay Bowles
Great timing Patti, with this post! I was just getting ready to check out your recipes for another great idea and this Cider Mulling Spices is perfect! You never disappoint!!! One more major gifting problem solved and checked off my list! Speaking of which, has more of your ideas on it than anything else!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! Kay
Patti Estep
Thanks Kay. You've made my day. Happy Thanksgiving to you too!