For nights stood around a bonfire, can there be a better drink to keep you warm inside? An initial appley, fruitiness is closely followed a sweetness of honey, and finished off with the warmth of the spices. Heaven in a glass, and referred to round here as Bonfire Juice.
If you need to make a family friendly version, use a good quality apple juice instead, just cut back on the honey as it will probably need less sweetening than the scrumpy.
When you knock yours together, don’t be shy about leaving bits out, or adding other flavours in. For example, cloves are traditionally used in mulled wines and ciders, but ever since I got one stuck in my tooth after picking at a home reared ham, I cannot abide the smell, let alone the taste.
Try adding mixed spice, nutmeg, allspice, bay leaves or cardamom. Or perhaps throw in a tot of calvados or rum for an extra kick. Play around with this basic recipe to create your own brand of bonfire juice. And please, let us know your winning mix!
Hot Mulled Scrumpy Cider
1 litre farmhouse scrumpy cider (use a flat, dry cider if you can’t find scrumpy)
1 cinnamon stick, snapped in half
1” piece of fresh ginger, sliced into 4
1 orange, thickly sliced
1 lemon, thickly sliced
1-3 tbsp of honey or sugar, depending on taste
Pop everything in a saucepan and gently heat. Do not let this boil unless you are driving, pregnant or under 18. A long, slow warm will extract all the flavours without burning off any of the alcohol.
Make a batch up and pop in a Thermos flask, take with you to any outdoor evening event between about October & March.
Hi, I’m Anne from Life on the Funny Farm, and I’m visiting from the Clever Chicks blog hop.
Anyway, it’s nice to “meet” you! Hope you can pop by my blog sometime to say hi…
Hi Anne, thank you for popping over! I hope you enjoy it :)
janie x
Augh! I left out the whole part about how delicious this looks! Can’t wait to give it a try! Thanks for sharing…
This looks great! Reminds me of wassail.
It is! I much prefer to drink cider this way than cold & neat :)
Yes…now please! My cockles could do with a bit of warming! ; ) It looks delicious, the perfect autumnal tipple.
Haha, this’ll do the job for sure Debs :)
New fan here! I just found you through Homestead Revival. I love this post and hope you will come share at my Farm Girl Blog Fest: http://fresh-eggs-daily.blogspot.com/2012/10/farm-girl-blog-fest-4.html
Done! Thanks for the invite, see you there next week!
Janie x
Stopping by from TALU!! We love Hot Cider. I’ll have to try making this one though – I bet it also makes the house smell amazing!
Hi Jen, thank you for taking the time to pop by & comment, and yes it makes the house smell AMAZING!
Janie x
Thanks for linking up with the Clever Chicks this week! This looks really delicious, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for hosting such a great hop Kathy, it’s such a great way to find new blogs to read :)
Janie x
Perfect timing for this post! I was looking for that smell of fall last night and set a few cinnamon sticks to simmer on the stove, but it just wasn’t the same without the cider. The kitchen smelled great, but it didn’t flow through the apartment like I was hoping. With cider already on my shopping list now, I’ll definitely have to give yours a try!
Somehow, I live right in the heard of apple country (central NY) and have never heard of Scrumpy. Maybe I’ve seen it but just assumed it was a brand name?? Either way, I’ve never had citrus in my cider, and I love ginger. That’s another unexpected twist here too. Sounds more like an elixir. :)
This is my first time stopping in via the #TALU. I’ll be back to wander later …
Hey Chris, nice to meet you! Scrumpy refers to traditionally made cider in South West England, it’s the real farmhouse stuff – dry enough to peel wallpaper!!
I hope you try this concoction, I reckon you’re gonna love it!
Janie x
Thought of you at the market yesterday. Was shopping for some beef short ribs, but the cider caught my eye while passing through produce … no srumpy. :(
I’ll have to pop in at one of the local cider mills to see what they recommend. There is a lot of variety here, but much like wines, I can’t tell the difference without drinking them all – which is dry, sweet, etc. :)
Hey Chris, I know what you mean, I’m the same. If I’m drinking cider neat it needs to be a medium dry, but for this you want the rough stuff, and the rougher the better!!!
Janie x
Favourite part of fall. Well, that and stews, soups, and roasts.
:) Can I add; layered clothes, autumn colours and crisp cold mornings to your list h?! I LOVE autumn
Janie x
Hello! I’m visiting from the hearth & soul hop. This recipe looks and sounds amazing! Will definitely have to try.
And I love your blog! Following you now and checking out older posts :)
Hey Tammy, good to meet you! Enjoy the Bonfire Juice, I wish I’d bought some more scrumpy today, I could really do with a couple of mugs after the day I’ve had!
Janie x
ooohh – the perfect thing to have on a cold day. Thanks for sharing your recipe! (TALU)
Hi Debbie, it is! Actually I reckon it’s a medicinal necessity on a cold day :)
Thanks for stopping by x
This looks wonderful! I hope you will stop by and share it at Simple Meals Friday! http://mexicanwildflower.blogspot.mx/2012/10/simple-meals-friday-4.html
Done! Thanks for the invite Katie :)
Janie x
I don’t know what “scrumpy” means, but I do get a lot of cider from my farm share. I’ll try this recipe. Thank you!
Hi Bonnie, thanks for stopping by! Scrumpy is an old south west English name for a (rough!) dry farmhouse cider, hence adding the honey :)
Mmm, that does look super yummy! Thanks for including a family-friendly version ;) I’m definitely going to try it with some good apple juice! And I love the name, bonfire juice! :) I’m pinning this for later.
Thanks for sharing at Tiny Tip Tuesday – hope to have you back again next week!
Hi and thanks for the lovely comment! I’ll definitely see you next week :)
Janie x
This looks wonderful! I would love you to link this up to our recipe linky at Katies Language Cafe! ~~Katie http://www.katieslanguagecafe.com/2012/10/french-cuisine-fridays-recipe-link-up-4.html
Thanks for the invite Katie, I’ll be right over :)
Thanks for linking up! I hope you join us again this week! :)
Hi Katie Mae, absolutely! It’s a lovely hop and thank you for taking the time to host it :)
Janie x