Apple cider press (Provided photo — Yvona Fast)

National Mulled Cider Day is perfect for celebrating autumn. Mulling means infusing beverages — like apple cider — with spices. Mulled drinks have been around since ancient Rome, but Charles Dickens’ enhanced their popularity.

Apple cider is fresh, unfiltered apple juice. When slightly fermented, it is hard cider. Mulled cider is simmered and flavored with sweet spices. It’s a hot, flavorful beverage to warm you up on chilly autumn days.

It’s fall. The air is cooler, and we bring back warm comfort foods. It’s time to trade cold beverages like iced tea and lemonade for drinks that will warm body and soul — like hot, mulled, cider flavored with warming autumn spices: cinnamon, allspice and cloves.

In the 1700s, cider was a fermented, alcoholic beverage. But with prohibition putting an end to alcoholic beverages in 1920 and with the advent of refrigeration, cider began to refer to fresh, unprocessed apple juice — unfiltered, unfermented liquid containing some pulp left over when apples are processed.

Most cider is made from a blend of apples, giving a balance of sweet and tart flavors. Processed apple juice is filtered to remove all apple pulp; cider is not, so it retains a more complex flavor. The pulp contains pectin and polyphenols, natural antioxidants with cancer protective properties. Look for unpasteurized ciders; pasteurization kills bacteria and deactivates some enzymes. It extends shelf life but inhibits oxidation, affecting the flavor.

Apple trees arrived in the New World with European colonists. In the early 19th century, John Chapman, known as Johnny Appleseed, traveled the countryside planting apple trees from Pennsylvania through Ohio and Indiana. Today there are more than 7,000 varieties of apples growing in temperate regions around the world. In the U.S., New York is second (after Washington state) in apple production. Apples range in flavor and texture. Some are crisp and juicy, others softer. Some are sweet, some are tart.

The cider press was invented in Europe in the 13th century. The device grinds apples and puts them through a cylinder, where a piston exerts pressure, releasing the juice.

In the New World, commercial production of apple cider began in Connecticut in the early 17th century. Soon, hard cider — popular in England since the time of the Celts — became the most popular alcoholic beverage in the colonies. By the start of the 18th century, New England pressed more than 300,000 gallons annually. The abundance of apples and the ease of production made it the choice alcoholic beverage of the working class by the 1840s.

Sweet, warming spices — cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom — are an important part of fall menus. Today we take these spices for granted, but hundreds of years ago only gold and silver were more expensive commodities.

Sweet spices are full of antioxidants and phytonutrients. They have been used medicinally in the Orient for thousands of years. Cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg are considered the warming herbs; they help to expand and relax muscles and arteries, and open up what is congested. They’re good for atherosclerosis, angina and other heart issues because they improve circulation.

On cold, crisp autumn mornings or damp, chilly fall days, a pot of cider steaming with autumn spices fills the house with a marvelous aroma. Warm up with a cup of hot mulled cider as the leaves begin to fall.

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Hot Spiced Cider

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Ingredients:

1/2 gallon fresh apple cider

4 sticks cinnamon

3-4 whole cloves

8 grains allspice

Peel from one lemon, optional

Peel from one orange, optional

1 tablespoon maple syrup

2 teaspoons lemon juice (if not using peels, above)

Directions:

Simmer cider on the stove with cinnamon, cloves, allspice and peels for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in maple syrup and lemon juice, if using. Let stand covered 5 or 10 minutes longer. Remove cinnamon and cloves. Serve piping hot in mugs. Top with apple and orange slices, if desired. Serves 4 to 6.

Variations: add other spices, like nutmeg. Or spike by adding a half cup of dark rum, brandy or schnapps.

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Apple Cider Muffins

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Ingredients:

1 egg

1/3 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup maple syrup

3/4 cup apple cider

1 1/3 cup rolled oats

2/3 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 large or 2 small apples

1/2 cup walnuts or raisins, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare muffin tins (butter or line with paper liners).

In bowl, beat egg with fork or whisk. Whisk in yogurt, syrup and cider. Stir in oats.

In another bowl, combine flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add to bowl with oats and stir just to combine.

Wash, core and dice the apples. No need to peel. Stir in, along with nuts and raisins if using.

Fill muffin tins 2/3 full, and bake about 20 minutes, until golden brown and done all the way through.

Author of the award-winning cookbook Yvona Fast lives in Lake Clear and has two passions: writing and cooking. She can be found at www.yvonafast.com and reached at yvonawrite@yahoo.com or on Twitter: @yvonawrites.