I wanted to make something I can take to my in-laws every year at Christmas when we visit. My father in law loves apple pie (the drink made with Everclear) so I came up with this recipe to make something like that but naturally fermented. I really like how it came out.

4 gallons of apple juice or cider without preservatives (I used Mott's apple juice)
1 gallon of bottled water + extra for top-off
2# dark brown sugar
5 cinnamon sticks (boiled for 10 minutes)
1 tsp nutmeg (added at knockout)
1 gram sweet gale (also known as bog myrtle) (boiled for 30 min)
1 Tbsp yeast nutrient

English ale yeast (WLP775, WLP002, Wyeast 1968, S-04, etc.)

Boil the brown sugar in the gallon of water with the sweet gale for 20 minutes. Add the cinnamon sticks and boil for another 10 minutes. Take the pot off the heat to cool in a water bath and add the nutmeg. When the liquid is cool (about 30 minutes and a few changes of the water will chill it nicely) add to a sanitized fermenter along with the 1 tablespoon of yeast nutrient and the juice. Top up to 5 gallons with bottled water and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 72*F for three weeks.

For backsweetening:
1/4 tsp potassium metabisulfite or 5 Campden tablets
1 1/4 tsp potassium sorbate
3 cans of frozen apple juice concentrate

When fermentation is complete, rack off the yeast and add the potassium metabisulfite or crushed Campden tablets along with the 1 1/4 tsp of potassium sorbate. Stir in three cans of thawed apple juice concentrate. Since we are stabilizing the cider anyway, it doesn't matter if the concentrate is preservative free. Force carbonate to 2 volumes in a keg and serve, or bottle the still cider.

Note: Because this cider is backsweetened with sugar it cannot be bottle carbonated.