My long love affair with a nightly glass of red wine is over, and mulled pomegranate cider is helping me replace not just the wine, but the evening ritual I loved. It’s a warm, spiced, non-alcoholic drink for darker days and the holiday season.
I’ve mentioned this many times over the years, but I bookend my day with my morning coffee and my nightly glass of red wine. That little routine is surprisingly important to me, and while I’ve tried a few times to give up the wine, it hasn’t stuck. But this time is different, I can tell. Recently, my nightly glass started triggering a kind of ringing in my ears. It turns out alcohol can do that for some people, and while it’s not dangerous, it’s uncomfortable enough that I know I’m done.
The hard part is replacing the ritual
For me, giving up wine is about more than just finding something else to drink. It’s replacing that moment at the end of the day when I pour a glass, shift gears, and officially call it quits. Especially once the days get short, that little ritual matters.
So I’m not interested in replacing it with a glass of water. I want something with flavor and a little ceremony to it ~ something I actually look forward to pouring at 6:30.
Preserving the antioxidants
One bonus about red wine is that it comes with some antioxidant upside. Luckily, plenty of alcohol-free choices do too:
- pomegranates
- cranberries
- red and purple grapes
- red, blue, and purple berries
They’re all rich in plant compounds with antioxidant activity, and I’ve been using them to make drinks that feel a little more interesting than plain water.
This hot mulled pomegranate cider is one of my favorites. I make a batch, keep it in the fridge, and warm up a mug when 6:30 rolls around.
How to mull pomegranate cider
Mulling is an old-fashioned way of gently heating cider, wine, or juice with whole spices so the flavors slowly infuse the drink. The cinnamon and clove give you that classic holiday flavor, while cardamom, star anise, ginger, and peppercorns make it more complex and keep the sweetness in check. The exact combination of spices can vary according to your taste ~ see my recipe for mulling spices here.
For this version I gently heat the juices with the following (keep the heat low and don’t let it boil)
- cinnamon
- cardamom
- clove
- star anise
- ginger
- peppercorns
- orange peel
- rosemary
My secret ingredient
A tea bag is the surprise optional ingredient that gives the drink a little tannic edge and keeps it from being too sweet. You can use your favorite black or herbal tea.
Make it once, pour all week
This is the kind of drink that gets better when you make it ahead. Simmer the cider, pomegranate juice, and spices, strain it, and keep it chilled in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Then when you want a cup, just pour what you need into a mug and warm it in the microwave or in a small saucepan. No measuring, no steeping, no evening project ~ it’s ready when you are.
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Pomegranate Mulled Cider
Ingredients
- 6 cups apple cider
- 2 cups pure pomegranate juice, unsweetened
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 whole star anise
- 4 –5 thin slices fresh ginger
- 6 black peppercorns
- 3 wide strips orange peel
- 1 small sprig fresh rosemary
- Optional: 1 black tea bag, for a little tannin and dryness*
Instructions
- Combine the apple cider, pomegranate juice, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, star anise, ginger, peppercorns, and orange peel in a large saucepan.
- Bring just to a simmer, then lower the heat and let the cider gently steep for 20–30 minutes. Avoid a hard boil.
- Add the rosemary during the last 5–10 minutes so its flavor stays fresh rather than becoming too strong.
- If using the black tea, add the tea bag during the last 3–4 minutes, then remove it.
- Strain out the spices and serve hot.
I like to add a little kombucha to my wine! Makes it like a spritzer. This cider sounds delicious!
I have to admit, I’ve never had kombucha, I need to get on board.
Is cider different over there? Here in England most cider is alcoholic? (Similar alcohol content to beer), liked the sound of the recipe but any suggestions to what I could substitute? Pressed apple juice?
Yes, what we call cider is basically unfiltered apple juice. We call the alcoholic version ‘hard cider’. So pressed apple juice would be just the thing to use.
Hi there – I really applaud you for making this new decision! Good for you! I imagine it will take some great perseverence to change this habit…..I have been having a rather long discussion with myself on this same subject! Am still waffling on it, though!
Best wishes for you! Happy New Year!
I’d been ‘waffling’ about it for years 😉 Happy New Year!
Sounds really yummy. I, too, enjoy that nightly glass (especially after a very long and stressful day at work), however alcoholism tends to run in families and several of my mom’s relatives had problems, so I am very conscious of my alcohol intake and often don’t have a drink just to make sure I still can. This sounds like a good alternative.
I’m allergic to cloves though. Leave them out and don’t replace them with anything? Add more of something else? What would you suggest?
Thanks for sharing!
Interesting that you mentioned not having a drink occasionally just to make sure you can do it ~ that’s so smart. We have some alcoholism in our family tree, too, and you’re right, that helps to keep us on our toes about our habits. As for the cloves, just leave them out, the rest of the spices will do the job. Thanks Beth!
Mmmm this looks absolutely to die for! Love this!!! This great tips for anything you need to reduce or need to give up 🙂
I don’t drink – so thanks for sharing a non-alcoholic recipe
Check out the list at the bottom of the post, too, Heather, there are a ton of really great non-alcoholic recipes out there!
Music to my ears… I would love to share with you something I published on my blog exactly one year ago
https://bewitchingkitchen.com/2016/12/29/the-complicit-conspiracy-of-alcohol/
so like you, I’ve debated for quite some time what is the best strategy – like you, I feel that alcohol does more harm than good to my body, I am only 5 ft tall – and for all reasons stated in my article, I feel there is indeed a huge amount of pressure in our society to associate drinking with fun.
I quit for a few months last year – 2016 – from November until March next year. Then did the “weekend only thing” – and now since October I’ve been alcohol-free and not sure if I’ll drink again or not. Honestly, I feel so much better without, it’s hard to justify going back. I am always on the look out for alternatives – easier to do in the summer than in the winter, that’s for sure, so maybe we can help each other sharing real mocktail gems when we do stumble upon one?
I am saving your post and suggestions…
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I do think this is on a lot of people’s minds, Sally, especially among women. And I agree, it’s easier to find fun non-alcoholic drinks in the summer, there are so many great fruity mocktails out there. That’s probably why I had to resort to my spoonful of Nutella to get me through 😉 Happy New Year!
This is so pretty! I love the ingredients you have in there!
This looks so pretty and tasty. This is a healthy way to warm up in these cold months. Yum!
Love it!! Thanks for sharing your decision with us and explaining your proactive measures to improve your health. I really appreciate how you’re approaching your decision not to drink from that standpoint rather than one of self-denial. And what great tips for changing your lifestyle – they could really be applied to any food change someone wants to make!
I hadn’t thought of that, but you’re right, this applies to any food change…I’ll have to work on my Nutella habit next 😉
Am I right that Nutella contains transfats? Several years ago I kept hearing how great Nutella is. I read the ingredients and never bought it. Am I wrong about this, maybe remembering wrong? Or maybe they took the transfats out of it since then?
No, I have no illusions about Nutella being healthy, Maggie, that’s for sure. I’m just being honest about what I had to do to distract myself from getting a glass of wine 🙂 I think Nutella is fine in small amounts, but not the healthiest food on the planet, no doubt about that. I’ve got a recipe for homemade Nutella on the blog that I’m planning on updating one of these days, here: https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/homemade-dark-chocolate-nutella/