As you may or may not know, I’m not a huge drinker (I just love playing hostess!), and since I’m pregnant that means I haven’t had one sip of alcohol since the end of May (yep, celebrated my #dirty30 completely sober… while on vacation. Mostly I just napped a lot.). But that doesn’t mean that I can’t still have a festive beverage, sans alcohol, when the time is right. My husband and I are hosting Thanksgiving this year, and while I’ll have alcoholic beverages for everyone else to enjoy (if they do so choose), I’ve decided that I’d like a little something special myself.
Enter, the Cider Mocktail.
This recipe is coming to you today from Running to the Kitchen, and it looks absolutely delicious – and oh, so simple. What’s not to love? This recipe calls for the addition of rum, but I’m just going to omit it and enjoy cozy fall flavors. Also, I’ll probably be drinking mine out of a martini glass, not a mason jar because… why not?
Simply “Spiked” Cider
Ingredients
- 3 cups apple cider
- 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon orange extract
- 1/3 cup dark rum – (Note: obviously if you’re going the mocktail route, don’t add the rum!)
- cinnamon & turbinado sugar for rim garnish
Directions
- Combine apple cider, cloves, cinnamon and extract in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Strain out cloves, mix in rum and set aside. (Note: Again, skip the rum here if you’re looking for a non-alcoholic bev)
- In a small plate combine sugar and cinnamon.
- Wet the rim of the serving glasses and dip into sugar mixture to coat the entire rim.
- Pour cider into glasses and serve warm.
Also, the Apple Chips that Running to the Kitchen shared in their original post look amazing as well, so if you’re looking for a snack to go with this festive drink, give ’em a try. I will be!