Mulled Cider With Cinnamon

Ingredients

• 8 cups apple cider – unfiltered if possible
• 1 orange – sliced into 0.5-inch rounds
• 1 lemon – wide strips of peel removed with a vegetable peeler (avoid white pith)
• 4 cinnamon stick
• 10 clove – whole
• 8 allspice berry – whole
• 2 star anise pod – whole

Instructions

1. Rinse the orange and lemon. Slice the orange into 0.5-inch rounds. Use a vegetable peeler to remove wide strips of lemon peel, avoiding the white pith; reserve the peeled lemon for another use.
2. Combine the apple cider, orange slices, lemon peel, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, allspice berries, and star anise pods in a large nonreactive pot.
3. Set over medium heat and warm until steaming with small bubbles just around the edges, 8–10 minutes; do not boil. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and gently simmer to infuse, about 25 minutes.
4. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof pitcher, pressing lightly on the solids to extract flavor without forcing through grit. Serve hot in mugs.
5. Keep warm on the stovetop over very low heat or in a slow cooker on the Warm setting. Discard spices and citrus after service.