Chai spices meet apple cider in this cup of why-haven’t-we-thought-of-this cozy loveliness. It’s essentially a cheater’s mulled cider with a chai tea bag replacing the spices and citrus you’d normally use.–Renee Schettler Rossi
Chai Spiced Apple Cider
Ingredients
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup water, depending on how sweet or spicy you like your apple cider
- 1 chai tea tea bag (regular or decaf if sipping at night)
- 1/2 cinnamon stick (about 2 inches/50 mm long)
Instructions
- Dump all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. As soon as the cider starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and let everything warm for 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat, discard the cinnamon stick and tea bag, and pour the chai apple cider into a mug. Sigh deeply.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This chai-spiced apple cider is a perfect way to meld two of the ultimate fall drinks—apple cider and chai tea—and comes together in minutes. Warm cider is delicious on its own, but with the addition of chai spices and a hint of cinnamon, this drink would be perfect on a chilly day.
Upon reading this recipe, my first thought was “Why haven’t I thought of this?!” Apple cider and chai tea are my favorite things to drink in autumn so I had little doubt that I would love this beverage. I was right. In essence, this recipe is a shortcut for making a mulled cider with the chai tea bag replacing the spices and citrus fruit you’d normally use. The resulting flavor will depend on the brands of cider and chai that you use, so don’t be afraid to experiment until you find the perfect combination!
I drink my coffee black, my tea with lemon and no sugar, and I skip most fancy drinks at coffee stores. Obviously, I am not one to enthuse over a hot, sweet drink. Still, it’s cider season and since apple cider imparts such a lovely glow to pork chops, a container of it can usually be found in my refrigerator this time of year. The addition of the cinnamon and chai tea, however, raised this drink from a “thanks, but I’ll pass” to one I could actually see myself drinking on a crisp autumn day. The sweet was cut considerably by the spicy flavors.
