Citrusy Hot Cranberry Apple Cider Recipe

Sinkology is proud to present Emily Schuermann, our food-loving guest blogger who runs Food for a Year. Emily is here to share some recipes she has created exclusively for the Sinkology blog that reflect her view of a copper sink: simple, timeless, affordable, and beautifully rustic.

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I have the perfect recipe to get you in the mood for the holidays! Homemade apple cider. But this isn’t just any apple cider. This apple cider is made with four juices, two of which are hand-squeezed and a blend of 3 spices (and a little sugar of course).

This recipe is so quick and can easily be modified depending on your flavor preferences. The extra bonus of making this warm apple cider is that as it boils on the stove, it sends the most delicious spicy aroma throughout your home.

For this recipe, I used the following juice blend  ::

• 5 c unfiltered apple cider
• 1 c freshly squeezed orange juice
• ½ c freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1½ c cranberry juice (100% cranberry juice – not juice cocktail)

For the spices I used :: 

• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 5 allspice berries
• 12 whole cloves

If you’d like, adding a few slices of fresh ginger and a dash of nutmeg lend themselves to a nice flavor too.

In a medium saucepan, combine juices and sugar.

I also added orange slices and lemon slices – which makes it so pretty and adds additional flavor thanks to the citrus oils in the skin of the lemon and orange.

Place spices in a large infuser (normally used for loose tea leaves). If you don’t have a large tea infuser, wrap the spices in cheese cloth and tie it up with some baker’s twine. (You can also drop the spices directly into the juice and just spoon them out before serving.)

Place the spices in the juice and cover. Bring the juice to a low boil, approximately 20 minutes.

The longer the spices steep, the stronger the flavor.

This cider can be made ahead of time and refrigerated in a glass jar and then simply reheated a glass at a time or it can be served directly from the saucepan.

Curious how a food blogger started writing for a copper sink company? A few years ago, while building the home we currently live in, I chose a beautiful, deep, single basin copper sink as my kitchen sink. The decision came with a lot of research and a little trepidation.

Would my busy life with my family of six – including 4 kiddos and all the messes that come along with – destroy the beauty of a copper sink? Because if it did I would be so sad.

But after hours of research, I found the overwhelming opinions of those who’d taken the plunge into life with copper were positive. I found confidence in comments that assured potential customers. Comments like –

• Food bits will leave marks but they’ll disappear.
• Clean up is a breeze.
• The copper just keeps getting more beautiful with use.

With that – I purchased my farmhouse copper sink and have been so happy with it ever since. I wrote about my love for my sink (over on my food blog) and Sinkology found it. One thing led to the next and now I write recipes for Sinkology.

As I was making this apple cider recipe, I caught a glimpse of my sink and thought you may enjoy seeing a photo a “real” life with copper. Lemon juice is certain to leave marks on copper, but I have come to learn that the sink goes back to it’s original finish so quickly that I don’t even wince at a sight like this.

After cleaning the dishes and wiping out the sink this is what the lemons and oranges did to my sink. Not too bad is it? That little triangular bright spot it the only indicator of what torture my copper sink previously experienced. 

Even today, 4 years later, this copper sink is still one of my favorite design choices because it’s constantly giving me grace! Even obvious mess-ups ((like sliced lemons)) don’t hold a grudge!