National Hot Mulled Cider Day
A base of apple cider, mulled over heat with delicious spices like cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar to a perfect Autumn-evoking smell and taste.
Drive September cider sales and café traffic by positioning hot mulled cider as an early autumn comfort beverage with heritage storytelling.
- Wassailing history: from Anglo-Saxon royalty to your kitchen
- 5 spice blends to elevate your homemade mulled cider this fall
- Cozy café feature: which local spots nail the perfect mulled cider?
- DIY mulled cider kit unboxing—spices, apples, and autumn vibes
The history of hot mulled cider bears remarkable similarities to the old pagan tradition called Wassailing. The word ‘wassail’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon phrase ‘waes hael’, which means ‘good health’. The wassail was a drink made of mulled ale, curdled cream, roasted apples, eggs, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and sugar.
It was served from huge, 10-gallon bowls, often made of silver or pewter. This originally came from a story about a young beautiful maiden presenting the drink to Prince Vortigen, saying the words “waes hael” in a toast. The term wassailing refers to the act of the bowl being carried into the room with great splendor, a traditional carol about wassailing and then the beverage was served.
Nowadays, hot mulled cider is generally referred to non-alcoholic, fermented apple juice. Hard cider would be the alcoholic version of apple cider. This drink can be served during the fall and winter seasons, and it is similar to Mulled wine, which is essentially hot, sweetened red wine made aromatic with the addition of citrus fruits and warming spices such as cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. However, people these days have been gravitating towards mulled apple cider as a drink that anyone can have.