Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and citrus make this homemade spiced apple cider perfect for a chilly day.

A few weekends ago we had a party at our house. 100 people-ish kind of party. It was so much fun, and as far as parties go, it was low maintenance. The hands down most popular thing that we served was this spiced apple cider. We left it unspiked, so that if kids wanted to drink it they could. We had bottles of bourbon and oak vodka on the side so people could indulge if they wanted to or not. I had the cider in two airpots and it kept it nice and warm. (Tip – did you know that you are supposed to pre-heat these? Pour boiling water in them and let them warm up before you add you hot drink.)

We went through 8 GALLONS of cider and ran out long before the party was over. It probably didn’t hurt that it was a chilly day and the party was outside. Regardless, this apple cider is so simple, warm and cozy. Your house is going to smell so inviting and incredible when it is simmering on your stove. (You can also make this in your slow cooker.)

I’ve been taking a class on making videos. (This class is excellent and I recommend it to anyone interested, regardless of whether you want to make family films or not.) I have been playing around with video for a little while and having so much fun with it. Shooting video is more complicated than taking stills, but I really enjoy the editing process. It is slow going for me, I’m not great at it, but there is something about it that is so relaxing.

The hardest part is finding music. I could spend hours and hours listening to clips and trying to decide if they fit the film that I’m making.

It took me a really long time to be able to say out loud that I am an artist. I don’t know why, but there was something about it that made me feel like I was an imposter.

Or if I didn’t say it out loud, I could get away with not taking it seriously. I could “play” without consequence. And by that I think I felt like I could be sort of half-ass about it. When I was able to say out loud, “I am an artist”, it changed how I felt about what I was producing. It is serious. I am not serving myself in any way by not trying my best.

To get to good, you need to do a lot of pretty bad – not so bad – eh – that’s not terrible – huh, that’s not the worst I’ve ever seen – I sort of like that – to – I like this.

Ira Glass says it best:

So in the meantime, until I get better, I’m going to enjoy the gap.

Spiced Apple Cider Cocktails

Yield: serves 8

A spiced apple cider that is warm and cozy on its own, but can be made into a cocktail with the addition of oak vodka, bourbon, or champagne,

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Ingredients

• 1-quart apple cider
• 3 sticks cinnamon
• 1 inch peeled ginger, cut into rounds
• 5 whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• peel from one orange
• peel from one lemon
• juice from one lemon
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• Absolut Oak, bourbon, or champagne

Instructions

1. Pour apple cider into a medium pot. Break cinnamon sticks in half and add to pot. Add ginger, cloves, nutmeg, orange peel, lemon peel, juice, and brown sugar.
2. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
3. Ladle into mugs and 2 ounces of oak vodka or bourbon if desired. Garnish with cinnamon sticks and lemon or orange slices.
4. (If using champagne, serve the cider cold before adding champagne.)
5. 

Notes

This can also be made in the slow cooker. Add all ingredients and cook on low for 4 hours.

Adapted from Alex Guarnaschelli.

** I was gifted a bottle of Absolut Oak from Absolut Vodka, I was not compensated for this post, all opinions are 100% my own. **