Monday, November 19, 2012

Spiced Cranberry-Ginger Cider with All the Fixins'


From my perspective, the people who celebrate Christmas fall into two camps.  First, there are the ones who wait until December to decorate.  They let Thanksgiving shine all on its own, without Christmas trying to nudge its way into the spotlight.  And then there are the ones who start decking the halls well before Thanksgiving, letting all the holidays sort of blend together into two, big, rosy, festive months.  We fall into the latter camp.  We are just such big fans of Christmas lights.  They make everything so cozy! And the cats - well, they are definitely Christmas fans, as garland and the tree make for some super amazing toys.  So we like to extend this Christmas cheer as long as possible.  We decorated last weekend, and made this drink to kick off a season of baked goods, good cheer and festive lights.

Ingredients
2 cups cranberry juice
2 cups ginger ale
3 cups apple cider
12 whole cloves
3 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
2-inch orange peel
2-inch chunk of ginger
1/2 cup cranberries
orange slices, for serving

Instructions
Put everything into a medium-sized pot over medium heat.  Once the mixture is nice and hot, and the aromatics are fragrant, ladle into mugs for serving.  It is also good served chilled. Serve with orange wedges and extra cinnamon sticks.

23 comments:

  1. Cranberry and ginger!? Yes, please! My cats love the holidays too! What I don't love is stepping on an errant decoration in the middle of the floor at 2am. :D

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  2. I have never tried a cider with ginger and cranberry. Sounds absolutely appetizing and festive!

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  3. What a delicious drink for any celebration/party between now and New Year's! It looks delish!!!

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  4. Indeed Christmas has something so full of warmth, hope and love that doesn't leave people untouched! This is so perfect for the coming festivities!

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  5. This drink looks absolutely gorgeous :)

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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  6. I always infuse ginger into my cranberry sauce so the idea of it in this cider definitely sounds perfect to me!

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  7. I can smell this from over here---sounds like it's beautifully spiced and perfect to snuggle up to!

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  8. Such a gorgeous hot cider drink! It would be perfect for so many holiday gatherings! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!!

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  9. A lovely and festive drink! I'd love to have some. Wishing you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving!

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  10. I once had a cat climb a Christmas tree. It was one of the most amusing things I've ever seen. That photo is absolutely gorgeous. Have a great Thanksgiving!

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  11. What a tasty cider, love those ingredients. Cheers to you and your family, I love that you start the celebrations early. Our cats used to climb the Christmas tree, it was a hoot. Happy Thanksgiving!! Enjoy.

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  12. Mmmmmm! I think I'll be serving this when I host a Christmas party in a few weeks. Great holiday drink!

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  13. If it were up to me, I'd keep Christmas lights up year-round! They are just so happily festive. LOVING this beverage! Cranberry and ginger and my two favorite fall flavors!

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  14. This is amazing!! I love the flavours, the idea, the colour, everything. Could you send me a cup full?

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  15. Oooh, yummy! I love cider and this sounds especially amazing!

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  16. I love Christmas too, but not really because of all the lights and decorations (we don't even put any up at all) but more the happy mood that it puts everyone in and the holidays it brings. :)

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  17. I love spiced/mulled/hot cider all through the fall and winter. This version looks so good - very warming and festive!

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  18. Jenn, I'm going to serve this at our next party :)Love all the fruits and spices especially ginger and cinnamon going into this and it looks and sounds so festive :)Bookmarked!

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  19. I'm in the first camp due to sheer laziness :) Loving this cider - serving it warm sounds perfect for all of this cold weather!

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  20. Ahhh, I love everything cranberry. This sounds divine. I came by from An Edible Mosaic and I'm following along on FB. Nice to "meet" you!

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  21. What a beautiful and festive drink! I've only tried hot cider a few times. This made me want to give it a try and make my own!

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  22. OMG, Jenn, this is going on my holiday menu. Yummo! We are huge fans of Christmas too. We deck the halls on Black Friday, and I enjoy every minute of my 3 Christmas trees (that's right, 3). My cat has been having a field day with my tree. He thinks it's his own personal jungle.

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