The leaves have just changed colors, the weather fluctuates between lovely and “that’s ok, I didn’t want to go outside anyways”, yep, it’s November. And I may already be getting my Christmas decor out. That also means it’s time to fix my favorite drink of the season. Coffee and tea I drink all year long, hot chocolate is classic, but you’ll find me sipping on Kinderpunch a whole lot more.
We discovered Kinderpunch, and subsequently went crazy over it, after we discovered that most other beverages offered at the German and Austrian Christmas markets had a wee bit too much alcohol for our tastes. Got a mug of this stuff and from then on, if we saw a stall selling it, Colton would chug whatever was left in our mug so we could get more.
Kinderpunch
Servings: 4
Ingredients
-
1 ½ Cup water
-
1 bagged berry tea
-
3c Apple cider
-
2 ½ Cup orange juice
-
1 tsp whole cloves
-
1 tbsp cinnamon candies (red hots)
-
2 cinnamon sticks
-
Optional: additional cinnamon sticks and orange slices for garnish
Instructions
For Stove:
-
Bring water to boil, add tea bag and let steep for a few minutes until desired strength, remove tea bag
-
Add cider, orange juice, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and cinnamon candies
-
Reduce temperature and let simmer about 10 minutes
-
Add orange slices and let simmer another 5-10 minutes until punch reaches desired temperature
For Slow Cooker:
-this method is great for a large batch and want the cider preparing while you’re busy with seasonal activities, like decking the halls or rocking around the tree.
-
Add all ingredients to slow cooker, except the orange slices, set to High
-
Check after 3-5 minutes, judge by the darkness of the punch to see if the tea has steeped to desired strength (stir it a bit beforehand), remove tea bag
-
Add oranges, set to low.
-
Enjoy when punch reaches desired temperature
Notes:
-
Adjust ingredient amounts for your preference, needs more kick? Add OJ and cinnamon. Want more sweet or apple flavor? Add cider.
-
Be careful with your tea strength, as too much can lend the punch a more bitter taste
