About a month ago a group of friends and I took a day trip to a farm in Indiana. We walked through a corn maze, we picked pumpkins and we made an attempt to pick apples too but we must have been late to the game – the trees were completely picked over.

The highlight of the day (not counting the scenery at the farm that oozed with fall charm or the pit stop we made at a local bar on the way to the farm) was, without a doubt, the hot apple cider we bought for a dollar at the farm stand.

If you need a hot drink to warm you up but wish someone else would make it for you,the solution is to make it in your drip coffee pot.

You fill the filter basket with brown sugar and spices for delicious, spice-infused spiked cider that will hit the spot, no matter what the weather. If it’s cocktail time, add dark rum or bourbon to give your beverage an edge.

Spicy Winter Cider

What you need:

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon whole allspice
1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
1/4 cinnamon stick
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 pinch ground nutmeg
1/4 large orange, quartered with peel
4 cups apple cider
1/2 cup dark rum

How-To:

Place a coffee filter in the designated basket and fill with brown sugar, allspice, cloves, cinnamon stick, salt, nutmeg, and orange wedges. Pour apple cider and dark rum into coffee pot where the water usually goes. Brew, and serve hot.

For a kid-friendly version, omit the dark rum and stir in a spoonful of caramel syrup, if desired. Serves 4.

Tagged as: apple cider, bourbon cider, hot apple cider, hot cider, rum cider, spiced cider, spiked apple cider, spiked cider