Ultimate Hot Cider: Chicagoist Tested and Approved

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Dec 18, 2006 4:13PM

Sometimes when the call is placed for group posts like the holiday gift guide or "A Very Chicagoist Thanksgiving," we receive way more submissions than we know what to do with. In the case of the latter, we can take those submissions and create a New Year's potluck post (which we'll have ready next week). Then there are those recipes that are so genius in their simplicity and balance of ingredients, that they deserve a stand-alone post.

Such is the case with Mr. Rob "Cosmic Mai Tai Noir" Christopher's "Ultimate Hot Cider." Now, we may be the resident booze expert around these parts, but we're humble enough to know we don't know everything about our beat. We also grew up in a household governed by Southern manners. So we know how to say "yes, ma'am", "no, sir", and give proper credit to the people who deserve it. Having made this cider the past two weekends, we would be remiss if we didn't let everyone know that this is Rob's recipe. Now that the recent warm spell is receding, this is an easy recipe for holiday parties, dinners, or cold winter nights curled with a comforter and some Clouzot in the DVD player. So sit back, click on the link to the jump, and get ready to read Rob's recipe for "Ultimate Hot Cider."

Here's the recipe as given to us by Rob:

Pour all ingredients into a very large stock pot over LOWEST heat, and add the cinnamon sticks. Do not boil. Allow an hour to heat thoroughly. Season to taste with additional cinnamon, and nutmeg. Serve steaming in pre-warmed mugs.

Simple, huh? Of course, we had to e-mail Rob and ask if we could use something a bit richer, like Gran Marnier, Cointreau, or Patron Citronge in place of tangerine liqueur or curacao. Rob wrote back, stating that it didn't have to be that fancy, but that — as in all recipes — PRECISION PAYS. The caps were his, but the message was clear: don't deviate from the measurements. If you're making this for a larger gathering, it helps if you know your times tables and "gazintas" (e.g. "2 goes into 8 four times") so that you can adjust the measurements accordingly.

We replaced the tangerine liqueur with Mathilde Orange XO orange-flavored brandy liqueur, which isn't as syrupy as Gran Marnier, but packs as much flavor. Otherwise, we followed the recipe to the letter, and also had the added bonus of enlisting the lovely Claudia and Isabella (pictured) to act as our "cider honeys," walking around with steaming hot mugs of UHC and drumming up interest, if even on a more animalistic level.

To maintain the proper heat, Chicagoist would recommend keeping this in a crock pot set to low heat, or in a pot over a can of chafing dish fuel. We did the latter and the cider never commenced to boiling, but the rising steam and aroma of cinnamon were instant attractions. We received not one complaint about this cider.

Now show Rob some love.