I had my first, delightful meeting with mulled apple cider years ago at the Neighbourgoods Market in Woodstock. It was at one of their midweek night markets, it was mid-winter and pouring with rain but the whole of Cape Town seemed to have shown up en masse.
We came in from the cold, thoroughly drenched, and immediately set off in search of something to unfreeze the bones. At some point I caught the alluring scent of spiced fruit in the air – there was cinnamon, there was a touch of aniseed, there was stewed apple. The cup of mulled apple cider, when I eventually located the stall, was a revelation: not too sweet, not too sour, brimming with spice and a slight kick of alcohol – the perfect warming drink for such a frigid night.
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