How to make the perfect mulled cider: Recipe

A smoky, silky and spicy festive treat

(B&H Buildings)

Objectively speaking, mulled cider is delicious. It's not as heavy going as mulled wine, smells outrageously good and even those who don't like cider will usually admit it tastes pretty damn tasty once warmed and blasted with spices.

You'll have noticed it fast becoming a staple in bars around Christmas time, and we got one of the finest ones, Bourne & Hollingsworth Buildings in London, to come up with an exquisite recipe for it. This is only a guide though so feel free to adapt and throw in anything else you like as you see fit.

Combine:

60ml dry cider

60ml lindisfarne mead (or other decent honeyed wine/mead)

20ml Sommerset cider brandy

Christmas spiced syrup (made from 500ml boiling water and 500g golden caster sugar, infused cloves, cinnamon, star anise, mace, nutmeg and orange peel)

Abbots Bitters

A tiny bit of butter

Heat it at all up:

Until warm but definitely not boiling, about 70 degrees

Serve:

With a clove-studded orange twist