National Hot Mulled Cider Day: an easy stovetop recipe and safety tip

Today is National Hot Mulled Cider Day, a celebration of warm, spiced apple cider as the evenings start to feel like fall in much of the country. In Southern California it is a warm week, so this may be a recipe to save for the first cool night.

Mulled cider is easy to make on the stove. Pour apple cider into a pot, add a couple of cinnamon sticks, a few whole cloves, a pinch of allspice or a star anise if you have it, and a few orange slices. Bring it to a gentle simmer and keep it there for about 20 minutes, then strain out the spices. Taste before adding any sweetener, since many ciders are already quite sweet. A slow cooker on low works well for a crowd.

There is also a useful safety reason to heat cider. The FDA says most juice sold in the United States is pasteurized, but some juice and cider from farm stands, orchards and cider mills is not. Untreated juice may contain harmful bacteria, and packaged untreated juice must carry a warning label that says it has not been pasteurized. The FDA notes that labels are not required on juice sold by the glass, so it is fair to ask.

The FDA lists children, older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems as the groups at highest risk from untreated juice. Pasteurization is a heat treatment strong enough to destroy harmful germs, so if you are serving anyone in those groups, the simplest choice is cider clearly labeled as pasteurized. If you make cider at home from apples, the FDA advises washing your hands for 20 seconds and cutting away bruised or damaged spots first.

Next time you shop for cider, check the label for the word "pasteurized" before it goes in your cart.