6 quarts apple cider
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tsp whole cloves
3 tsp whole allspice
6 cinnamon sticks
3/4 tsp salt
dash ground nutmeg (optional)
Golden or spiced rum (optional)
Put cloves and allspice together in teaball. You may need to use multiple teaballs.
Put all ingredients, plus teaball(s) but minus the rum, in a crockpot.
Cook on low for 2-8 hours. Basically, you're just heating it all together, which is why it can stay in the crockpot up to 8 hours.
Tip: The longer it's in the crockpot, the better your home will smell.
Stir occasionally to dissolve sugar.
Rum: The rum adds a great kick to the cider, but is optional and should not be cooked with the rest of the ingredients. Let guests add the rum to their mug accordingly, although 1-1/2 oz is the recommended amount.
Serving: I usually put a big ladle by the crockpot and let everyone spoon the cider into mugs.
