How to Make Hot Buttered Cider
Select your cider., Choose a blend of spices yourself., Mull the cider with your chosen spices., Make spiced butter., Add butter to your cider just before serving.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Select your cider.
The most important component of a hot buttered cider is the cider itself.
Since you’ll be heating the cider with spices, or mulling it, choose a cider with a thick, cloudy body.
Choose an unfiltered cider that's as fresh as possible.
During the fall, look at your local farmer’s market to find the best options in your area.Note that mulling your cider with some or all of the spices you want to use before adding the butter will provide a more satisfying, complex, and enjoyable beverage. -
Step 2: Choose a blend of spices yourself.
Though store-bought mulling blends are available, you’ll get a better flavor by the spices you want to use by hand and customizing how much you want of each.
There are, of course, a few reliable spices that pair especially well with cider (and, of course, with butter).Use cinnamon to add sweetness and spice.
Star anise can also be used for similar effect, with the additional flavor attribute of licorice.
Clove will add depth to the flavor of the cider itself, which will be reduced by the mulling process.
Include coriander to emphasize the muskiness of the cider and add a bit of a citrus kick.
Add a bit of cardamom as well.
This will enhance the aroma of the cider.
Allspice and nutmeg are also common ingredients in mulled cider drinks.
While they are enjoyable and reliable, don’t consider them absolutely necessary, and take care not to use too much! , The best method for making hot buttered cider involves mulling the cider first, and adding butter just before serving.
Mulling cider beforehand allows you to cook the flavor of the spices into the cider.
To do so, simmer the cider and spices together for about thirty minutes.Use whole spices whenever possible.
For instance, toss a few cinnamon sticks into the cider instead of using ground cinnamon.
Include a few fresh orange or lemon peels in the mulling process.
For spices that are already ground, default to about ½ teaspoon per 16 fluid ounces of cider.
If you’re on the fence about amounts of certain spices, always default to less.
This will allow the flavor of the apples themselves to show through. , However you choose to mull your cider, you can make a spiced butter to emphasize certain flavors in your hot buttered cider.
For instance, you may prefer to mull your cider with only citrus peels and cinnamon sticks, and make a spiced butter with the other spices you've chosen, such as ground allspice and nutmeg.
For one option, soften 8 ounces of unsalted butter and whip until creamy in a mixing bowl.
Add 2 ounces of brown sugar, ⅛ teaspoon of cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon of allspice, and a pinch of ground clove.
After mixing in your spices, re-roll the butter into a log or press it into a small bowl.
Cover the butter and refrigerate it if you're not ready to use it.
The main advantages of making spiced butter is having more control over the amount of butter and spice in each serving.
For instance, you can make individual portions that have more or less butter and spice.
You can also make a large batch of spiced butter to use in several different batches of mulled cider over the course of a few days. , If you've just mulled the cider and it's still warm, you can simply add regular butter or spiced butter.
The amount of butter you’ll want to add depends on the amount of cider you plan to serve.
Aim for about a small spoonful of butter per serving.You can melt the butter into the pot containing the whole batch of cider, or allow people to add butter themselves to individual servings.
If adding butter yourself, stir it into the cider while the batch simmers over low heat.
Adding butter to individual servings allows everyone to customize their drink
- and to decided whether to stir their butter until it's fully melted, or allow the butter to slowly melt while it floats on the surface of their beverage.
Always serve hot buttered cider when it is still steaming.
Be sure to warn everyone that the drink is hot. -
Step 3: Mull the cider with your chosen spices.
-
Step 4: Make spiced butter.
-
Step 5: Add butter to your cider just before serving.
Detailed Guide
The most important component of a hot buttered cider is the cider itself.
Since you’ll be heating the cider with spices, or mulling it, choose a cider with a thick, cloudy body.
Choose an unfiltered cider that's as fresh as possible.
During the fall, look at your local farmer’s market to find the best options in your area.Note that mulling your cider with some or all of the spices you want to use before adding the butter will provide a more satisfying, complex, and enjoyable beverage.
Though store-bought mulling blends are available, you’ll get a better flavor by the spices you want to use by hand and customizing how much you want of each.
There are, of course, a few reliable spices that pair especially well with cider (and, of course, with butter).Use cinnamon to add sweetness and spice.
Star anise can also be used for similar effect, with the additional flavor attribute of licorice.
Clove will add depth to the flavor of the cider itself, which will be reduced by the mulling process.
Include coriander to emphasize the muskiness of the cider and add a bit of a citrus kick.
Add a bit of cardamom as well.
This will enhance the aroma of the cider.
Allspice and nutmeg are also common ingredients in mulled cider drinks.
While they are enjoyable and reliable, don’t consider them absolutely necessary, and take care not to use too much! , The best method for making hot buttered cider involves mulling the cider first, and adding butter just before serving.
Mulling cider beforehand allows you to cook the flavor of the spices into the cider.
To do so, simmer the cider and spices together for about thirty minutes.Use whole spices whenever possible.
For instance, toss a few cinnamon sticks into the cider instead of using ground cinnamon.
Include a few fresh orange or lemon peels in the mulling process.
For spices that are already ground, default to about ½ teaspoon per 16 fluid ounces of cider.
If you’re on the fence about amounts of certain spices, always default to less.
This will allow the flavor of the apples themselves to show through. , However you choose to mull your cider, you can make a spiced butter to emphasize certain flavors in your hot buttered cider.
For instance, you may prefer to mull your cider with only citrus peels and cinnamon sticks, and make a spiced butter with the other spices you've chosen, such as ground allspice and nutmeg.
For one option, soften 8 ounces of unsalted butter and whip until creamy in a mixing bowl.
Add 2 ounces of brown sugar, ⅛ teaspoon of cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon of allspice, and a pinch of ground clove.
After mixing in your spices, re-roll the butter into a log or press it into a small bowl.
Cover the butter and refrigerate it if you're not ready to use it.
The main advantages of making spiced butter is having more control over the amount of butter and spice in each serving.
For instance, you can make individual portions that have more or less butter and spice.
You can also make a large batch of spiced butter to use in several different batches of mulled cider over the course of a few days. , If you've just mulled the cider and it's still warm, you can simply add regular butter or spiced butter.
The amount of butter you’ll want to add depends on the amount of cider you plan to serve.
Aim for about a small spoonful of butter per serving.You can melt the butter into the pot containing the whole batch of cider, or allow people to add butter themselves to individual servings.
If adding butter yourself, stir it into the cider while the batch simmers over low heat.
Adding butter to individual servings allows everyone to customize their drink
- and to decided whether to stir their butter until it's fully melted, or allow the butter to slowly melt while it floats on the surface of their beverage.
Always serve hot buttered cider when it is still steaming.
Be sure to warn everyone that the drink is hot.
About the Author
Robert Jackson
Brings years of experience writing about lifestyle and related subjects.
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