If you really long for drinks which seem suitable for days the
"saddest of the year," why then see to it that your cider jug is
filled with sweet cider as a prerequisite, and go ahead. Call your
first effort a cider punch. Peel a lemon and pour half a pint of
sherry on the peeling; to the juice of the lemon add a cupful of
sugar, a little grated nutmeg and a quart of cider. Mix this together
thoroughly and then add to it the rind of the lemon and the sherry.
Let it get perfectly cold on the ice, or if you are short of time ice
it when serving. Now if you wish to make this punch a bit more
insidious you can easily do so by adding to it a wineglass of brandy.
It will be quite as palatable also, I think you will find.