Normandy Mulled Cider with Calvados, Orange and Warm Spices for Crisp Autumn Nights

Pour the apple cider into a large saucepan or Dutch oven and add the orange rounds, 3 cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, ginger, honey and vanilla bean.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 6 cups fresh apple cider (unfiltered, unsweetened)
• 1 orange, sliced into rounds, plus 6 twists for garnish
• 3 cinnamon sticks, plus 6 for garnish
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 star anise
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 vanilla bean, split (optional)
• 3/4 cup Calvados (French apple brandy)
• 1 tart apple, thinly sliced, for garnish

Instructions

1. Pour the apple cider into a large saucepan or Dutch oven and add the orange rounds, 3 cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, ginger, honey and vanilla bean.
2. Warm over medium-low heat until steaming, about 10 minutes, then reduce to the lowest setting. Do not let it boil, which turns the spices bitter.
3. Let the cider mull gently for 20 to 30 minutes so the spices fully infuse. Taste and add more honey if your cider is very tart.
4. Remove from the heat and strain out the spices and orange, or leave them in for a rustic presentation.
5. Stir in the Calvados just before serving; adding it off the heat preserves its bright apple aroma.
6. Ladle into heatproof glass mugs and garnish each with a fresh cinnamon stick, an orange twist and a thin apple slice.
7. For a crowd, keep the mulled cider warm in a slow cooker on low and let guests add their own Calvados to taste. Makes a lovely alcohol-free version too, simply by leaving out the brandy.
8. Normandy produces no wine, so its apple orchards have long supplied the region's drinks instead: dry cidre, pommeau and Calvados, the oak-aged apple brandy that has carried an AOC since 1942. The cider harvest runs from October through December, and warming spiced cider is how Norman farmhouses have welcomed in the cold for centuries. A measure of Calvados stirred into the mug turns a humble harvest drink into something that feels like a fireside toast to the season.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 210 kcal
• Protein: 0g
• Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 34g
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 30g
• Sodium: 15mg