Recipe40 min · Easy
Orchard Mulled Cider
The pot that makes the whole house smell like October. Fresh-pressed cider, whole spices, and a clove-studded orange, kept just below a simmer.
Recipes · Know-how · Good gear
Pour something worth pressing.
Cidermix is a kitchen notebook for cider lovers — mulled pots and sparkling spritzes, first-batch homebrew, and the tools we actually use.
On the stove
Orchard Mulled Cider
From the recipe box
Recipes
Recipe5 min · Easy
Thyme & Apple Cider Spritz
A bright, low-proof long drink for warm evenings — dry sparkling cider, a splash of elderflower, and a sprig of thyme.
Recipe4–6 weeks · Project
Your First Gallon of Hard Cider
Everything you need to turn store-bought juice into dry, sparkling homemade cider in about a month — no special skills required.
Quick pours
Tips
- 01
Give Your Mulling Spices a Second Life
Strained whole spices from a batch of mulled cider still have plenty to give. Simmer them with sugar and water for a spiced syrup.
- 02
Don't Serve Good Cider Ice-Cold
Fridge temperature mutes aroma. For craft and farmhouse ciders, aim for 45–50°F — pull the bottle out 15 minutes before pouring.
- 03
A Pinch of Salt Makes Cider Cocktails Pop
Two drops of saline solution (or a tiny pinch of salt) brightens apple flavor and tames bitterness in any cider drink.
- 04
Sanitize, Then Sanitize Again
Nine out of ten failed homebrew batches come down to one thing. A no-rinse sanitizer in a spray bottle makes it painless.
Long reads
Articles
ArticleSeptember 21, 2026
A Field Guide to Cider Apples
Sweets, sharps, bittersweets and bittersharps — what the old cidermakers' categories mean and how to use them when you're blending at home.
ArticleSeptember 7, 2026
How to Taste Cider Like a Cidermaker
A simple four-step method for actually noticing what's in your glass — and a vocabulary for describing it.
The Shop
Gear we actually reach for.
Tested in our kitchen. Buying through these links supports Cidermix at no extra cost to you.
See every pickKitchen
Enameled Cast-Iron Dutch Oven
Even, gentle heat for mulled cider that never scorches. Pulls double duty for every braise you'll ever make.
$60–120at Amazon
Homebrew
One-Gallon Cider Fermenting Kit
Glass jug, airlock, stopper, sanitizer and yeast — everything for your first batch in one box.
$35–50at Amazon
Bar
Tulip Tasting Glasses
A curved bowl that gathers aroma. The single easiest way to make a good cider taste better.
$25–40 / 4at Amazon