Hot mulled apple and blackberry juice is a cosy, comforting and vibrant drink that can be enjoyed right through winter, not just the festive period.
It’s remarkably cold outside so this hot mulled apple and blackberry juice seems incredibly well-timed. Full of punchy fruit and spice flavours this drink is warming and very quaffable.
Since a young age my girls have always enjoyed a variety of treat drinks. As much as they adore a good hot chocolate, they can be equally impressed with healthy smoothies, date shakes and other fruity concoctions.
In the winter, mulled juice is one of their favourite healthier indulgences.
I never like to be predictable though, so rather than serving up regular mulled apple juice I recently snook a few cheeky blackberries into the recipe. The berries amplify the tart flavour of the apple juice and add a wonderfully bright, cheerful and festive blush to the drink.
How to Make Mulled Apple Juice
Hot mulled juice is very easy to prepare. It can be made ahead of time and reheated, so I recommend making a full batch or even doubling it.
Honestly, this is one of the simplest recipes around:
- put the spices, juice and blackberries in a large saucepan
- heat to scalding and then turn off the heat (don’t allow the juice to boil)
- use the back of a spoon to crush the blackberries
- leave to infuse for 30 minutes then add maple syrup or honey to taste
- strain through a wire meshed sieve
- reheat when ready to serve
Once made, this mulled juice can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week and reheated easily on the stove or in the microwave.
What Are Mulling Spices
When a drink has been mulled this means that it has been heated, sweetened and spiced. It’s been going on since at least the 2nd century when the Romans would mull their wine to combat the cold of winter. I can’t say I blame them.
Today, the exact blend of spices used to make a mulled drink is not set in stone – recipes vary depending on the personal preferences of the recipe creater and the other ingredients.
There are a handful of spices that are commonly found in mulled drinks though. These include:
- cinnamon
- cloves
- allspice
- nutmeg
But it’s not uncommon to find the following spices also incorporated in some recipes:
- star anise
- black peppercorn
- vanilla
- ginger
It’s also common practice to include a little citrus in the mulling process – lemon and/ or orange are typical components.
These spices, along with the liquid, are heated and left to infuse to allow the fragrant flavours to permeate the liquid.
Here in this hot mulled apple and blackberry juice, I’ve stuck with the traditional cinnnamon, cloves and nutmeg but added peppercorns, star anise and fresh ginger. These latter 3 spices, though potent, do work in harmony with the tart blackberries to create a well-balanced beverage, especially when a little honey or maple syrup is added to sweeten it slightly.
Is Mulled Apple Juice Non-Alcoholic?
I have fantastic news for non-drinkers. This hot mulled juice is completely alcohol-free. It can be served to just about everybody at any time of the day without intoxication.
My one word of warning is to remember that if honey has been used to sweeten this drink, it should not be served to children under 1 year of age.
Hot mulled apple and blackberry juice is a cosy, comforting and vibrant drink that can be enjoyed right through winter, not just the festive period.
It’s one way to conquer the winter chills anyway.
Try my other Mulled Drinks:
Mulled Apple and Blackberry Juice
Ingredients
- 1 ltr Apple juice
- 25 Blackberries fresh or frozen
- 1 Cinnamon stick 10cm
- 2 Star anise
- 5 Black peppercorns
- 10 Cloves
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg freshly grated
- 10 Thin slices ginger
- 3 Thin slices orange
- 1-2 tbsp Maple syrup or honey
Instructions
- Start by cracking open the black pepper in a pestle and mortar. Just hit them once or twice, don’t grind the peppercorns to a powder
- Tip the pepper into a large saucepan and add the other dried spices
- Add the sliced ginger and orange to the pan along with the blackberries and apple juice
- Heat to scalding and then turn off the heat – don’t allow the juice to boil
- After 5 minutes the blackberries should be soft enough to crush using the back of a spoon
- Once the fruit has been crushed, leave everything to infuse for 30 minutes
- Add maple syrup or honey to taste and strain through a wire meshed sieve (or a nutbag for an ultra-smooth drink)
- Store for up to 1 week in the fridge, reheating on the stove or in the microwave when ready to serve
- If desired garnish with blackberries/ cinnamon. star anise// orange slices
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