About 15 years ago, my husband and I started a tradition of making a pot of hot apple cider every year at Halloween.
It began as a way of keeping ourselves warm as we greeted little (and seemingly big) trick-or-treaters on what is almost always a rather fresh (read: freezing cold) Canadian evening. Since that time, it has quickly become one of our favourite fall drinks.
Our version of apple cider is nothing like the kind you might find in a store or restaurant. We don’t press the apples – in fact, we quite like having chunks of softened spiced apple swimming around in our warm drink and enjoy eating them too! (skin and all). We don’t use a cheesecloth wrap for the ground spices either; we pop them right into the pot and it all works out beautifully.
This is a simple, homestyle drink that has its own rustic charm and a complexity of flavour that is out of this world delicious – not to mention how deliriously good your entire home will smell! You might just find yourselves doing a little Fred Flintstone levitation to the kitchen (who’s old enough to remember Fred Flintstone’s best moves?).
I just happened to have a little bit of delightful pumpkin chai tea left in my cupboard when I was preparing to make this recipe, so I decided to use it in this version of the apple cider.
Homestyle Apple Cider with a Pumpkin Chai Infusion
-
2 Tbsp of your favourite chai tea, I used Pumpkin Chai by DavidsTea
- 4 seasonal apples (I used McIntosh), skin on and sliced into chunky pieces
- 2 cinnamon sticks + more for serving
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (fresh if you have it)
- 1/2 tsp ground clove
- 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
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Notes:
The chai tea is a delicious addition here but it is not necessary. You can just as easily prepare this apple cider without the tea infusion simply by relying on the fragrant spices to carry the day. If you’re making a version without the tea, you may wish to add a little more spice (a touch of cardamom and/or some orange zest) but this is really a matter of taste so play around and see what works best for you.
This recipe will make about six one cup servings.
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Directions:
Brings 6 cups of fresh cold water to a boil (or just short of a boil) in your kettle.
Place chai tea in an infuser set in a teapot. Pour heated water over the tea mixture and infuse for about 5-7 minutes ensuring that the tea mixture is fully submerged in the water.
Remove infuser and pour tea into a medium sized pot on the stove. Whisk in maple syrup and add apples, ground spices and cinnamon sticks. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and then reduce to simmer for 6-8 minutes or until apples have softened and mixture is fragrant.
Pour apple cider into individual serving cups making sure to scoop up some apple pieces. Add a cinnamon stick and enjoy!
I am freezing my butt off and have been for days. As I type this I actually have a space heater seating on the counter pointing directly at me to take the cold out of my bones! I am going to make myself a pot of this right now! Such a wonderful idea with the apple chunks left right in there!
Yum Kelly, I’m ready to pull out the pot and make some cider right now! Your pictures are so enticing, they look like a piece of art work!
I’m liking the spike of chai tea, especially knowing it’s pumpkin. I like that the bits of apple infus to make this great warming drink.
Hi Kelly!
That sounds like a lovely tradition to take up as well. and its easy to recreate it at home for anybody, no exception and excuses here! ;)
What a great idea to have chunks of warm apple swimming in the cider! Sounds delicious.
AMAZING photos – you should tastespot it right away!
Loved the post, and the Fred FLintstone image is irresistible, of course I remember – believe it or not, I grew up watching many of these shows in Brazil, and they were dubbed, but later I realized they did a very good job in keeping the voices similar to the original. Fun times.
sorry for the digression- your apple cider seems amazing, I bet Phil would love to make us some
What a great drink to sip on the front porch while handing out candy! Just bought some northern NM apples and what a perfect fall drink to use a few in. I’ve got 5 different Chai teas in the pantry, but no pumpkin. I’ll have to think about which would work with this. Love your pictures and styling!
Mmmm! I just made a huge batch of apple cider this weekend, but I wish I had seen this first! Pumpkin chai infusion…mmmmm I die.
AHhhhhh, Kelly,
you got me in the mood. I smell the apple cider all the way over here. Mmm. Love your photos <3 Xx
Your tradition sounds a lot healthier than our tradition — we have martini’s as we hand out candies on Halloween night! We have a David’s Tea in BWV, I’m going to get some of the pumpkin chai and try your tradition for a change. Love the chunky apples and best of all I adore the aroma that this recipe brings to the home.
I’d do the chai! I love chai tea. And I love apple cider and have been longing to make some but the process is a real turn off. I like your idea of unpressed apples. No waste too!
A very seasonal and flavourful drink, Kelly. Beautiful clicks, as always.
Haha! I was actually thinking of you in connection with the fermentation/alcohol Sissi and considering an ‘adult’ version of this classic…always optional! ;0) every once in a while we slip in some rum…it’s just perfect in this drink – much like in a hot toddy! Oh the fun you can have… :)
Another amazing autumn table decoration! The drink also sounds perfect for cold days and I think you will be surprised if I say my mum used to make something like this when I was small. It was only apples cooked with sweetened water, but it was delicious. Your spiced up version sounds more sophisticated and simply better (I must however say I was disappointed to see no fermentation, no alcohol… I have always thought cider was apple alcohol ;-) Just joking of course!).
What a wonderful flavor! This definitely brings holiday spirit. :) I drink chai every single morning. This is my kind of apple cider…
Such warm comforting looks hard to make but that’s such a deception :)
Yum!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
There are several delicious recipes with chai tea and this looks well worth trying.
Wow.. these are really such pretty photos, as Kristy wrote! I can just imagine the fragrant when you’ve got this simmering!
These pictures are GORGEOUS Kelly! I mean how wonderfully fall and rustic. I just love them. It’s magazine cover worthy if you ask me. :) This does sound quite delicious. What a great tradition that you guys started. :)