Hot Spiced Cider
What speaks more eloquently of the pleasures of autumn than the harvest? From the city, cars of"leafers" fill weekend interstates headed for farm country, where open fields beckon for the gathering of pumpkins from beds of five-pointed leaves and mischievous tendrils. If no one's looking, a pile of bronze leaves begs to be jumped on. A stop at the farm stand yields the last of the summer corn to be frozen for Thanksgiving, bushels of apples for filling fruit bowls and pie crusts, and a heart-warming, spicy sip of hot cider.
We think of cider as an American treat, and in some ways it is. During the early European settlement of the colonies, grain seeds brought from Europe did not take as well to harsh New England conditions as did apple seeds that also made the voyage. "Cider apples" were harvested expressly for fermentation, yielding a beverage not unlike the cider we now associate with pubs.
That cider was similar to the much older drink of Europe. When the invading Romans reached England in 55 B.C.E., they found locals enjoying a cider-like (Ciderish? Ciderly?) beverage made from apples. They took the drink and its process back to the Mediterranean, where it found its place at table along with their drink made from fermented pears. The Basque prepared a drink by fermenting apples with honey. Greek historians refer to a similar beverage as "sikera" and there is also reference in the Hebrew to "shekar."
In the Ninth Century, Charlemagne decreed that "sidre des pommes" always be available at his table. During the Medieval period, cider making had become an important industry, led by monasteries, whose wares were so valuable they were used as currency. By the mid-seventeenth century -- just in time for the pilgrims to transport cider apple seeds on their ships -- cider making was so common that most farms had a grove of trees just for that purpose, and their own press.
Modern American cider is sweet cider, meaning it is rescued very early during processing from fermentation. (Alcoholic cider, of course, is hard cider). Sweet cider should exhibit the essence of the apples (special varieties divided into two categories: bittersharp and bittersweet) used to make it. Whether you buy your cider from a local stand or at the grocer's, the standards are the same: it should give off a sharp, sweet fragrance of apples, and that corresponding flavor should follow -- undiluted after a few moments on the tongue, and unaltered whether tasted warm or cold.
Some purists maintain that sweet cider needs no assistance, and they have a point. But hot spiced cider is a wonderful autumn treat, so here's a recipe for a quick, easy, and spirit-warming hot spiced cider, just right for sipping after an afternoon of raking leaves, from a thermos during the big game, or fireside on a chilly night.
HOT SPICED CIDER
In order not to detract from the distillation of apple that should be the centerpiece of a cider drink, this recipe does not include any additional flavor essences -- such as the citrus zest sometimes included -- other than spice. Do not be seduced by the charming cinnamon sticks you see in the spice aisle; unless marked otherwise (and priced accordingly) they are cassia, a relative of the cinnamon plant that does not yield its oils very easily. Use ground cinnamon; also cassia, but much more fragrant.
2-1/4 cups apple cider
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
Several gratings of fresh nutmeg or 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 star anise
4 juniper berries
1. Combine spices in a square of cheesecloth; use kitchen twine to tie into a sachet. Alternatively, combine spices in a clean mesh tea ball.
2. For every two cups of hot cider, measure 2-1/4 cups of cider into a nonreactive saucepan.
3. Add the sachet/tea ball. It is okay if the ground spices escape into the liquid.
4. Heat until the spices give off their fragrance. Serve immediately.
We think of cider as an American treat, and in some ways it is. During the early European settlement of the colonies, grain seeds brought from Europe did not take as well to harsh New England conditions as did apple seeds that also made the voyage. "Cider apples" were harvested expressly for fermentation, yielding a beverage not unlike the cider we now associate with pubs.
That cider was similar to the much older drink of Europe. When the invading Romans reached England in 55 B.C.E., they found locals enjoying a cider-like (Ciderish? Ciderly?) beverage made from apples. They took the drink and its process back to the Mediterranean, where it found its place at table along with their drink made from fermented pears. The Basque prepared a drink by fermenting apples with honey. Greek historians refer to a similar beverage as "sikera" and there is also reference in the Hebrew to "shekar."
In the Ninth Century, Charlemagne decreed that "sidre des pommes" always be available at his table. During the Medieval period, cider making had become an important industry, led by monasteries, whose wares were so valuable they were used as currency. By the mid-seventeenth century -- just in time for the pilgrims to transport cider apple seeds on their ships -- cider making was so common that most farms had a grove of trees just for that purpose, and their own press.
Modern American cider is sweet cider, meaning it is rescued very early during processing from fermentation. (Alcoholic cider, of course, is hard cider). Sweet cider should exhibit the essence of the apples (special varieties divided into two categories: bittersharp and bittersweet) used to make it. Whether you buy your cider from a local stand or at the grocer's, the standards are the same: it should give off a sharp, sweet fragrance of apples, and that corresponding flavor should follow -- undiluted after a few moments on the tongue, and unaltered whether tasted warm or cold.
Some purists maintain that sweet cider needs no assistance, and they have a point. But hot spiced cider is a wonderful autumn treat, so here's a recipe for a quick, easy, and spirit-warming hot spiced cider, just right for sipping after an afternoon of raking leaves, from a thermos during the big game, or fireside on a chilly night.
HOT SPICED CIDER
In order not to detract from the distillation of apple that should be the centerpiece of a cider drink, this recipe does not include any additional flavor essences -- such as the citrus zest sometimes included -- other than spice. Do not be seduced by the charming cinnamon sticks you see in the spice aisle; unless marked otherwise (and priced accordingly) they are cassia, a relative of the cinnamon plant that does not yield its oils very easily. Use ground cinnamon; also cassia, but much more fragrant.
2-1/4 cups apple cider
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
Several gratings of fresh nutmeg or 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 star anise
4 juniper berries
1. Combine spices in a square of cheesecloth; use kitchen twine to tie into a sachet. Alternatively, combine spices in a clean mesh tea ball.
2. For every two cups of hot cider, measure 2-1/4 cups of cider into a nonreactive saucepan.
3. Add the sachet/tea ball. It is okay if the ground spices escape into the liquid.
4. Heat until the spices give off their fragrance. Serve immediately.
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