No Need to Mull it Over!

Mulled Wine and Cider are Fall Favorites Everyone Loves

Spice & Tea Exchange® of Alexandria has all the ingredients you need for delicious mulled drinks.

Sponsored by Spice & Tea Exchange® of Alexandria

With the first sign of changing leaves, we start looking forward to our favorite pastimes of autumn: pumpkin picking, evening bonfires, sipping hot mugs of tea and hayrides to name a few. And our food desires transition to rich, spice-filled dishes. Pumpkin, apple and cinnamon are what we crave to keep us cozy as the days get shorter and the evenings become cooler. 

Another favorite? Serving mulled drinks at cool weather parties, in a thermos at a football game, or as a treat after leaf-raking. Mulled drinks have an ancient history, as the Romans started adding spices to their wine in the 2nd century as a health booster in colder weather. The delightful aroma of mulling spices has become synonymous with the season and are popular around the world, especially at the holidays.

The Spice & Tea Exchange of Alexandria has made creating mulled drinks easy with our Mulling Mix that comes perfectly portioned in a bag that also acts as a filter for the spices. Delicious in both wine and cider, it is as easy as simply combining all ingredients with a bottle of red wine or one quart of cider, then simmer for fifteen minutes. 

Remember that entertaining is easier with early preparation.  Several hours in advance, combine Spice & Tea’s Mulling Mix with your favorite cider in a slow cooker and set on medium-low. As you finish your hosting prep, your home will begin to fill with the intoxicating aromas of fall. Another pro tip, you can enjoy the mulled wine or cider alone or kick it up a notch by adding your favorite dark liquor, such as bourbon or rum. For a truly impressive presentation, hollowed out apples make a fun cocktail/mocktail glass!

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Mulled Cider Cups

From The Spice & Tea Exchange®

1 pkg Mulling Mix Spice Blend
8 Star Anise (optional garnish)
8 Cinnamon Stick – Korintje (optional garnish)

From the grocer
1 quart of cider
8 large apples
Juice of one lemon

Add the cider and Mulling Mix Spice Blend into a slow cooker and cover. Simmer on low for 3-4 hours or to taste.

Meanwhile, cut off the top of the apples. Use a knife to outline the apple cup “rim.” Spoon or scoop (with a melon baller) out the apple center to the rim line you created. Brush the cut part of the apples with lemon juice to prevent browning. Fill each apple cup with brewed cider. Garnish each cup with a Star Anise and a Cinnamon Stick – Korintje.

Yield: 8 (½ cup servings)
Prep: 10 minutes

The Spice & Tea Exchange® of Alexandria offers more than 140 spices, over 80 exclusive hand-mixed blends, 16 naturally-flavored sugars, an array of salts from around the world and more than 30 exotic teas. We focus on providing high quality products and accessories to home cooks, chefs, and tea lovers in an old-world spice traders’ atmosphere.

Visit our store and become immediately immersed in a sensory experience where you can explore, open the jars and smell and speak with our knowledgeable staff who truly love what they do. We enjoy hearing about good recipes and fun stories, so stop on by! You’ll find us hand-mixing our custom blends and seasonings right in the store, bagging our teas, or putting together unique gifts for our guests.

Spice & Tea Exchange® of Alexandria, 320 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 | 571-312-8505 www.spiceandtea.com/alexandria.html