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Hot Mulled Scrumpy Cider (aka Bonfire Juice)

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This Hot Mulled Scrumpy Cider, otherwise known as Bonfire Juice, will keep you toasty warm inside and out on a cold evening outside.

Two full glasses and a pan of hot Mulled scrumpy cider on straw bale

I first published this glorious recipe for hot Mulled Scrumpy Cider way back in 2012. It was in dire need of some photo updates (and I fancied a good excuse to remake it!). I hope you love it as much as we do :)

For nights stood around a bonfire, can there be a better drink than mulled scrumpy cider to keep you warm? An initial appley, fruitiness is closely followed with a sweetness from the honey, and then rounded off with the warmth of the spices.

Heaven in a glass, and lovingly referred to round here as Bonfire Juice.

Two full glasses and a pan of hot Mulled scrumpy cider on straw bale

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.

Hot Mulled Scrumpy Cider

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 taste of cloves.

Two full glasses and a pan of hot Mulled scrumpy cider on straw bale

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!

Make a batch up and pop in a Thermos flask, take with you to any outdoor evening event between about October & March.

Two full glasses and a pan of mulled cider on straw bale with slices of lemon and cinnamon sticks

Print
Hot Mulled Scrumpy Cider (aka Bonfire Juice)
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: British
Keyword: Mulled scrumpy cider
Servings: 4
Calories: 42 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 litre farmhouse scrumpy cider use a flat, dry cider if you can’t find scrumpy
  • 1 cinnamon stick snapped in half
  • 1 inch piece of fresh ginger thinly sliced
  • 1 orange thickly sliced
  • 1 lemon thickly sliced
  • 1-3 tablespoons of honey or sugar depending on taste
UK Measurements - USA Measurements
Instructions

  1. Pop everything in a saucepan and gently heat. Do not let this boil unless you wish to reduce the alcohol content.

  2. A long, slow warm will extract all the flavours without burning off any of the alcohol.
Nutrition Facts
Hot Mulled Scrumpy Cider (aka Bonfire Juice)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 42
% Daily Value*
Fat 0g0%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 1mg0%
Potassium 96mg3%
Carbohydrates 11g4%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 8g9%
Protein 0g0%
Vitamin A 75IU2%
Vitamin C 31.8mg39%
Calcium 29mg3%
Iron 0.2mg1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Please share with your friends!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anne Kimball says

    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…

    Reply

  2. Anne Kimball says

    Augh! I left out the whole part about how delicious this looks! Can’t wait to give it a try! Thanks for sharing…

    Reply

    • HedgeComber says

      Hi Jen, thank you for taking the time to pop by & comment, and yes it makes the house smell AMAZING!
      Janie x

      Reply

  8. Chris at Hye Thyme Cafe says

    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 …

    Reply

    • HedgeComber says

      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

      Reply

      • Chris at Hye Thyme Cafe says

        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. :)

      • HedgeComber says

        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

    • HedgeComber says

      :) Can I add; layered clothes, autumn colours and crisp cold mornings to your list h?! I LOVE autumn
      Janie x

      Reply

    • HedgeComber says

      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

      Reply

  13. Bonnie says

    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!

    Reply

    • HedgeComber says

      Hi Bonnie, thanks for stopping by! Scrumpy is an old south west English name for a (rough!) dry farmhouse cider, hence adding the honey :)

      Reply

  14. Nature's Nurture (@NaturesNurture) says

    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!

    Reply

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