mulled apple juice

The Winter Warmer: How to Make Mulled Apple Juice with Brewers Orchard

 

 

 


From our orchard to your mug — a little Strzelecki Hills warmth for the coldest months.

There's something about the tail end of a winter's day in South Gippsland that calls for something warm in your hands. The kind of cold that rolls in off the hills and settles in your bones. The kind that makes you want to pull on a fleecy jumper, put on the fire and not leave the kitchen.

This is where mulled apple juice earns its place.

It's simple, it's honest, and when you start with real pressed apple juice — the kind made from fruit grown right here in the Strzelecki Hills — the result is something genuinely worth making. Spiced, steaming, and just sweet enough. A hug in a mug, as they say.

Whether you're cutting out the booze for a season, sharing with the kids after a cold trail run, or just looking for something a little more interesting than a tea bag, mulled apple juice is one of those drinks that punches well above its effort level.

Here are three ways to make it.

The Classic

Prep: 5 minutes. On the stove: 15 minutes. Serves: 6–8.

This is the one you'll make on a Tuesday night and end up making every weekend all winter.

Add a cinnamon stick, the peel of one large orange and one lemon, and a small knob of freshly grated ginger to a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Pour in a litre of Brewers Orchard apple juice and place over a low heat. Let it sit at a gentle simmer for 10–15 minutes — don't rush it. The slow heat is what coaxes the spice into the juice.

Stir through a couple of teaspoons of runny honey, taste, adjust. Strain into a jug and serve while it's still steaming. A cinnamon stick and a dried apple in the glass if you're feeling it.

You'll need:

  • 1L Brewers Orchard apple juice
  • 1 cinnamon stick (plus extra to serve)
  • Peel of 1 large orange
  • Peel of 1 large lemon
  • Small knob of fresh ginger, grated
  • 2 tsp runny honey
  • Dried apple to garnish

The Four-Ingredient Version

For when you just want to get on with it. Serves: 6–8.

No faff. Four ingredients. Done in ten minutes.

Combine the juice, orange peel strips, cinnamon stick, and cloves in a saucepan. Simmer on a low heat for 5–10 minutes until everything has had a chance to get acquainted. Sweeten to taste with sugar or honey. Strain and serve.

It's that simple. The cloves do more work than you'd expect — don't skip them.

You'll need:

The Spiced Citrus Version

A little more complexity, a little more citrus. Serves: 4–6.

This one leans into the fruit and spice in equal measure. Brown sugar gives it a bit of depth, and the lemon and orange slices (not just the peel) make it feel more like a proper winter punch.

Combine everything in a large saucepan and bring slowly to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and leave it for ten minutes. Strain into mugs and serve with a lemon slice and extra cinnamon if you like.

You'll need:

  • 1L Brewers Orchard apple juice
  • 250ml water
  • 100g brown sugar
  • ½ lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed
  • ½ orange, thinly sliced, seeds removed
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • Lemon slices to serve

A few things worth knowing

Make it in a slow cooker. If you're doing a big batch — a market stall, a Sunday gathering, a cold-weather event — a slow cooker on the warming setting is your best friend. Set it up, walk away, come back to something that smells incredible.

Use good juice. This one matters more than the recipe. Mulled apple juice made with cold-pressed, single-origin juice from real fruit tastes noticeably different from concentrate. The spices amplify what's already there, so start with something worth amplifying.

Kids and non-drinkers welcome. All three recipes are entirely alcohol-free, which makes them a genuinely useful thing to have on offer at any winter gathering — no compromise version, just the real thing.

Brewers Orchard apple juice is pressed from orchards in the Strzelecki Hills, South Gippsland. 

Made something with our juice? Tag us on Instagram — we'd love to see it.

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