There’s nothing like a warm (alcoholic) drink on a chilly fall evening.
I think the temperature got up to the 70s on Sunday when I made this, but the sentiment still stands. It is mid October, after all.
Here are the ingredients for the perfect spiked apple cider:
Apple Cider
Bourbon
Orange slices
Apple slices
Cinnamon sticks
Cut an apple and orange into slices and add them to a pot or saucepan along with six cinnamon sticks. I got cinnamon sticks from my friend, who had some leftover from making homemade Fireball last fall, but you can find them pretty easily in Oxford grocery stores.
Next, pour the apple cider and bourbon into your pot. I used about three-fourths of a gallon of cider, because that’s how much fit into my saucepan. For this amount of cider, I added about 2 1/2 cups of bourbon.
A different friend gave me the bourbon, which was also left over from a previous cocktail endeavor — mint juleps for the Kentucky Derby last spring. I’m almost positive it was bottom shelf bourbon and had a label that looked like it was made in Microsoft Word, but I don’t really know the first thing about bourbon, so I think it worked out just fine.
Place the pot on the stove and let it simmer over medium-low to low heat. I let it sit for about 45 minutes, which was enough time for it to develop subtle flavors of cinnamon and citrus. The longer you let it simmer, the stronger those flavors will be, but if you’re pressed for time or simply impatient, it can be ready as soon as it’s heated all the way through.
Pour into cups or grab a ladle and have guests serve themselves straight from the pot. Add more cider or bourbon as desired.
If you’re like The Miami Student staff and drinking this conservatively on a Sunday night, store any extra in a container and reheat on the stove or in the microwave. You can also enjoy this drink cold for any other unseasonably warm days.
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