Lemon Apple Ginger Cider Recipe

Materials:

1. a lemon
2. fresh ginger
3. star anise or allspice (optional)
4. a cinnamon stick
5. dried clove buds
6. jug of fresh apple cider (not from concentrate!)

Preparation:

• Warm a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cloves and the cinnamon stick. If you like star anise or allspice, you could add a couple of pieces of those too. Warm the spices for a minute and then add the apple cider.

• Scrub the lemon with soap and rinse it well. Cut the pithy ends off of it. Slice it into quarters. Score the inside of the lemon with a knife and squeeze each slice gently into the cider. You don’t need to juice it completely; just coax some of the juice out for now. Drop in the lemon slices and go to work on the ginger while everything warms up.

• Using the edge of a spoon, peel the ginger. If you want your cider super gingery, peel two fingers of it. One is probably enough for most people, but I like mine spicy. When the ginger’s clean, grate it into a small bowl. Squeeze any extra juice out into the bowl and include the pulp. (You could also blend it, but then you’d have to clean the blender.)

• Add all the ginger bits to the cider and bring it up to a simmer.

• Stir the cider and turn it down low. Taste it carefully to check the temperature and flavor. It can sit there for a while if you’re baking or waiting for friends. When you’re ready to serve it, ladle the cider through a small strainer into mugs.