Quick Upgrade: Put Chopped Apples in Store-Bought Cider

We picked up this tip from one of the vendors at the Union Square Greenmarket. We bought a cup of hot cider a few weeks ago and noticed floating slices of apple in our cup. If you already add cloves and cinnamon sticks to jazz up store-bought cider, we highly recommend doing this, too. The soft, sweet chunks of apple are so yummy to slurp up.

We aren't as lucky as Kathryn, who recently got to camp out in an apple orchard and make her own cider (read all about it here). We buy ours from the store.

But we do like to gussy it up a little, and adding apples is a simple trick. It makes the whole experience of sipping the hot cider more like a snack.

We sliced and peeled one apple and added it to a small sauce pan with about two cups of cider. By the time the cider was heated through and almost boiling, the apple chunks were soft.

Anyone else add apples to their cider?

Related:
Spiced Apple Cider
Simple Cocktails with Fresh Apple Cider
Ingredient Spotlight: Apple Cider (with tips on how to use it, other than for drinking)
Apple Cider Doughnuts

(Image: Elizabeth Passarella)

Comments (2)

Totally agree--although I blended mine after cooking to make it easier to bottle for work etc.

posted by sally599 on November 18th 2009 at 3:19pm
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definitely. i love putting on a pot of cider in winter and adding cloves, cinnamon, allspice and apple slices (fresh or canned).

also, mead. mulled mead is a must-have winter drink. it took ages to find it in australia, but it was worth it.

posted by sparrowsgo on November 19th 2009 at 9:25am
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