Holiday Feast Recipe: Brandy-spiked apple cider from Museum Tavern’s Moses McIntee
Moses McIntee, who holds court at Museum Tavern, the posh bar across from the ROM, is the kind of highbrow bar hand who speed-chills his martini glasses with liquid nitrogen. His punch bowl is a departure into the humble: cider, cinnamon, oranges and not a nitro-smoke cloud in sight. He adds cranberry juice as a nod to the berry-picking trips he took with his uncle as a kid.
Moses McIntee’s Brandy-Spiked Apple Cider
Makes 26 cups
INGREDIENTS
Horseradish crème fraîche
- 16 cups apple cider
- 4 cups pure, unsweetened cranberry juice
- 4 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 oranges
- 3 cups frozen cranberries
- 1 bunch mint
- 3 cups brandy, such as St-Rémy XO
DIRECTIONS
1. Pour juice and cider into a large pot and set over high heat. Add cloves and cinnamon. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Cover and let cool in fridge. This will take at least 4 hours.
2. When cooled, transfer to a punch bowl. Remove cloves and cinnamon. Cut oranges into wheels and add to punch, along with frozen cranberries.
3. Tear mint leaves from stems. Add to punch along with ice and brandy. Stir to release oils in mint. Serve immediately.
SHOPPING TIP
For the fullest flavour, splurge on fresh-pressed organic apple cider, like Filsinger’s, which comes from a small orchard in Ayton, Ontario. It’s available at The Big Carrot. 348 Danforth Ave., 416-466-2129.
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