Spiced Rum Cider

Wrap cloves, allspice, cinnamon sticks, and lemon zest in a small piece of cheesecloth and tie packet with kitchen twine to close it. In a medium saucepan (not aluminum), combine spice packet and cider. Cover and bring to a simmer over high heat. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, about 1 hour.

To serve, heat infused cider, covered, over medium heat until hot and steaming. Lift out and discard spice packet. Stir in rum. Ladle into cups or heatproof glasses and garnish with lemon slices if you like.

Note: Nutritional analysis is per 3/4-cup serving.

Steep warm spices in cider, then spike the drink with a generous dose of dark rum. Prep and Cook Time: about 15 minutes, plus 1 hour for steeping. Notes: Natural unfiltered apple juice may form a sediment when heated. If it does, just stir to blend. If you don't serve all the cider at once, keep warm, covered, over very low heat for up to 1 hour.