Food Recipes This Homemade Hot Apple Cider Is the Best Beverage for Fall 3.6 (24) Add your rating & review Next to pumpkin pie, cozy sweater weather, and Halloween costumes, homemade hot apple cider is one of the best parts of celebrating the arrival of autumn. By Betty Gold Betty Gold Betty Gold is the former senior digital food editor at Real Simple. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 12, 2022 Rate PRINT Share Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: chas53/Getty Images Hands On Time: 20 mins Total Time: 20 mins Making apple cider from scratch is incredibly easy—all it takes is about 20 minutes of hands-on prep, plus fresh apples, one orange, brown sugar, and warming spices. Those same seasonings will impart your kitchen (and entire house) with the scent of all your favorite fall flavors as it simmers. Think sweet cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Ingredients 10 medium apples, quartered ½ orange, sliced into two pieces ½ cup brown sugar 3 cinnamon sticks (or 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon) 1 teaspoon allspice 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon cloves Directions Add apples, orange pieces, brown sugar, and spices to a large stockpot and add enough water to submerge the mixture by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil and boil, uncovered, for 1 hour. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for another 2 hours. Remove the cider from the heat and allow to cool. Strain the apple mixture through a fine mesh sieve. If need be, use a potato masher or wooden spoon to crush extra apple solids. Strain one more time through a cheesecloth (or cheesecloth-lined sieve) into a large pot, bowl, or pitcher, squeezing all juices out. Discard any remaining solids. Reheat cider on the stovetop to serve it warm, or chill it in the fridge for up to a week. Rate It Print