Mulling spices are not just for wine–-mulled hard cider is taking over the Virginia Cider Trail for Hot Mulled Cider Weekend December 16-18, 2022. Participating cideries will feature warmed Virginia hard cider blended with spices like cinnamon and citrus.

Hot mulled cider may trace its roots back to wassailing, which has its origin in pre-Christian Britain. While there is more than one way to go wassailing, the one most apt for cidermaking is the tradition involving a torch-lit procession of people crashing pots and pans, singing, and reciting incantations, and passing around a bowl of cider in the orchard to promote a good harvest for the coming year.

One of the earliest written records for mulled cider in the U.S. is from a book written in 1839 by Kentuckian Lettice Bryan. Her recipe called for boiling cider with cinnamon and cloves then pouring the cider over beaten eggs, adding sugar and mixing until the drink was frothy, and topping with a dusting of nutmeg.

Just like wassailing, hot mulled cider recipes each have their own variations based on the ciders used and the creators of the tasty beverages. Also, like wassailing, hot mulled cider is best shared with others. The Virginia Cider Association invite all Virginians to head out to one of the events happening at a cidery near you.