Nigella says "This mulled cider is mellow and fruity and, despite the rum sploshed in as well, mild to the taste and all too drinkable. Just make sure you don’t swig while it’s still mouth-burningly hot."
Servings 6
Ingredients
4cupsdry hard cider
¼cupdark rum
1cupapple and ginger tea (made from a herbal tea bag)
Pour the cider, rum and herbal tea into a wide saucepan, add the sugar and put over a low heat to mull
Halve the clementines or satsumas, stick a clove into each half, and add them to the pan
Break the cinnamon sticks in half, and tip into the pan
Add the bay leaves and bruised cardamom pods, and let everything infuse as the pan comes almost to the boil
Once the pan is near to boiling, turn down the heat, so that it just keeps warm, and ladle into heatproof glasses with handles to serve
To make this into a non-alcoholic warmer, replace the cider and rum with 4 cups of apple juice and a quarter cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
You probably won’t need the sugar, but taste when warm to see if you want a little and then add as you like
Notes
MAKE AHEAD: Make the cider, strain and cool. Remove the cloves at this point otherwise the flavour will become too overpowering as the drink sits. Cover and keep in a cool, dark place for up to 2 days until needed. When ready to serve, return the mulled cider to the saucepan and reheat gently without boiling.