My Warm Cider Recipe for Thanksgiving and Christmas

As the Christmas season grows near, I can’t help but sit back and reminisce on all the wonderful and festive memories I have with my girls... from cooking Thanksgiving dinner to decorating the tree, they really made this time of year even more special. One memory I kept replaying in my mind was the excitement that came with Apple Cider. While I loved experimenting with new Christmas recipes, my kids always felt so grown up when they received their very own mocktail! Their excitement always brought extra laughs and smile to our home. These memories inspired this years Apple Cider bar setup!

This type of bar set up couldn’t be easier, because the cider is your mixer! You can serve your set up hot or cold.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Ladle of measuring cups
• Shot glasses
• Crockpot or ice bucket
• Tongs
• Cocktail napkins
• Ramekins for garnishes
• Drinking Vessel

With every glass of mug of cider, your friends can use your sweet and savoury ingredient choices to make their cider their own!  I enjoy using both sweet and savoury.

I have my own sample list, but you can get creative! Not only will this cider bar be perfect for Thanksgiving, you can leave the basics displayed throughout Hanukah and/or Christmas by just switching up the ingredients a little. To switch from Thanksgiving to Christmas, I like to play up the sweet leaning, garnishes like cinnamon, peppermint (get full sized candy canes for a fun stirrer) star anise, ground or whole cloves, and pomegranates.  You can even switch your juice to Cranberry juice for the night Christmas colour.

My suggested liquors are my personal choices, but almost anything goes as apple is a flavor used in cocktails with almost any alcohol.

Here are my personal alcohol choices:

Rum

Gin

Vodka

Chambord

Triple Sec

Peach Schnapps

Here is my personal garnish list:

Cinnamon sticks

Pumpkin pie spice

Caramels

Fresh rosemary

Ground cloves

Orange quarters

Fresh pomegranate seeds

Maraschino cherries

Mixed mulling spices

Elegant and easy is the name of the game here, everyone can “build their own” cocktail, and the scents of yesteryear and reminders of Holidays long ago will be all around you and your guests for your special Holiday occasions.