Mulled Cider

A hot cider flip: the beaten eggs thicken the drink into something closer to a thin custard than a punch. Everything depends on how the hot liquid meets the eggs.

• The hinge: temper, do not scramblePour the boiling cider into the eggs in a thin stream while beating hard and constantly. Dumping it in at once, or reversing the order and adding eggs to the pan, gives you sweet scrambled eggs held together by apple juice.
• Do not reheatOnce the eggs are in, the drink must not go back over direct heat or return to a boil. If it needs holding, keep it in a bowl over hot (not simmering) water and whisk occasionally.
• Which ciderIn American cookbooks of this era "cider" usually means unfermented sweet cider rather than the alcoholic drink. Use fresh or refrigerated pressed apple cider rather than filtered apple juice, which is thinner and lacks the body this needs.
• Egg safetyA quart of boiling cider whisked into three eggs should carry the mixture well above 160F, provided you use a warmed bowl and serve it very hot as the recipe directs. Check with a thermometer if you are serving anyone elderly, pregnant or immune-compromised, and use pasteurized eggs if in doubt.
• Whole spices onlyGround allspice and cinnamon will cloud the drink and leave grit that no strainer catches. The three-minute boil is short, so crack the allspice berries lightly with the flat of a knife to open them up.
• Strain twiceStrain -- Pass it through a fine sieve to catch the spices and any threads of set egg, as the recipe directs. A second pass gives a smoother result.
• Yield and servingFour servings of about 8 oz. Serve in warmed mugs or heatproof glasses; cold cups drop the temperature fast and this drink is unpleasant lukewarm. A grating of nutmeg on top is period-appropriate.