Hot Cider with Coconut Milk
It’s cold. I realize that when we’re in the depths of January, we Michiganders will look back at the good old “warm” days of October with fondness (and a touch of bitterness mixed with desperation), but to me, right here, right now, it’s cold. Last week I was riding my bicycle my usual 30 miles/week — it’s amazing how many errands you can do on a bike in the city! — and now I’m huddled in multiple layers and have the heater pointed directly at my feet.
All of this unwanted chill did, however, inspire me to come up with a new winter drink: hot mulled cider with coconut milk. Talk about rich, sweet, and creamy!
As long as you have some spicy black tea on hand — like any variety of chai or a spiced citrus tea blend such as Constant Comment — making this winter treat is ridiculously easy. Proceed as you would when making tea: put your teabag in a mug (I use Bengal Spice from Celestial Seasonings), heat your cider in a tea kettle, and pour the hot cider over the teabag. Let steep for 5 minutes before adding a splash of whole coconut milk. Note that if you don’t have a pre-mixed spicy tea, you could make your own “tea” with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, cardamom pods, vanilla beans (or a splash of extract), etc. You could also use pre-mixed mulling spices, like the bags sometimes sold to make Glühwein or mulled wine.
A warning: do not try this with whole dairy milk … or if you do so, you do so forewarned and at your own peril. For reasons I have yet to divine (but I will!), the interaction of the cider with the milk does not yield appetizing results. There’s something inherently different about the fat composition of the coconut milk and the cow milk; while the former blends beautifully with the cider, the latter does not. Figuring out the chemistry behind this is my current challenge. In the meantime, just stick to apple + coconut and you’ll be fine.
Enjoy!
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Tags: apples, cider, coconut milk, spices, winter drink
