Number68
Well-Known Member
a friend of my family always gave us a few bottles of what he called "apple jack" it tasted just like sweet cinnamon apple cider, and a few glasses of it would have you flat on your ass. I have since learned that it's not apple jack (which is freeze distilled hard cider), and after polishing off the last of the stash we had, came up with a recipe for it.
before someone says something, yes, you can find a recipe for this online, it's called "apple pie" but every recipe is a tiny bit different, this is the one that I came up with after lots of experimenting, and RDWHAHB-ing
you need:
1 gallon of apple juice
1 gallon apple cider (fresh pressed is better, i ususally buy "Ziegler's")
750mL everclear(or some other kind of high proof grain)
3 cups brown sugar
7-8 cinammon sticks(works out to be a small container's worth)
in a large pot, pour in some of the juice, then add some sugar, then juice, etc, it helps mix everything together,(think like when you mix your priming sugar into your bottling bucket)
then turn the heat on, and once the juice starts getting warm (ie, a bit of steam) add the cinnamon sticks in
turn your heat up to max and throw the lid onto the pot, you wanna stir it every so often so nothing burns, but the goal is to bring it up to a full boil, and hold the boil for roughly 5 min
at that point, turn the heat back to a simmer, and this is where the wonders of chaos play in. (depending on your setup, the kind of cinnamon sticks you have, etc, this part can take anywhere from 30 seconds, to an hour) you need to let it simmer until all the sticks lose their flavor (taste like a popsical stick more or less)
once that happens, remove from the heat and let it cool
stir in (all) the everclear, then bottle it.
I find it tastes a lot better after you let it sit for a week or two in a cool place
IIRC it works out to be about 10%abv, but either way, you have no idea until it hits you, it's always a hit at all my parties, i'm beginning to think people invite me just so i bring this stuff.
i should also add, that you can theoretically throw all this stuff together into a bucket, similar to fermenting beer, and let it sit forever and the flavors will naturally combine, the heat just speeds up the process.
so there you have it, this is the first time I've ever divulged this recipe to anyone, enjoy
before someone says something, yes, you can find a recipe for this online, it's called "apple pie" but every recipe is a tiny bit different, this is the one that I came up with after lots of experimenting, and RDWHAHB-ing
you need:
1 gallon of apple juice
1 gallon apple cider (fresh pressed is better, i ususally buy "Ziegler's")
750mL everclear(or some other kind of high proof grain)
3 cups brown sugar
7-8 cinammon sticks(works out to be a small container's worth)
in a large pot, pour in some of the juice, then add some sugar, then juice, etc, it helps mix everything together,(think like when you mix your priming sugar into your bottling bucket)
then turn the heat on, and once the juice starts getting warm (ie, a bit of steam) add the cinnamon sticks in
turn your heat up to max and throw the lid onto the pot, you wanna stir it every so often so nothing burns, but the goal is to bring it up to a full boil, and hold the boil for roughly 5 min
at that point, turn the heat back to a simmer, and this is where the wonders of chaos play in. (depending on your setup, the kind of cinnamon sticks you have, etc, this part can take anywhere from 30 seconds, to an hour) you need to let it simmer until all the sticks lose their flavor (taste like a popsical stick more or less)
once that happens, remove from the heat and let it cool
stir in (all) the everclear, then bottle it.
I find it tastes a lot better after you let it sit for a week or two in a cool place
IIRC it works out to be about 10%abv, but either way, you have no idea until it hits you, it's always a hit at all my parties, i'm beginning to think people invite me just so i bring this stuff.
i should also add, that you can theoretically throw all this stuff together into a bucket, similar to fermenting beer, and let it sit forever and the flavors will naturally combine, the heat just speeds up the process.
so there you have it, this is the first time I've ever divulged this recipe to anyone, enjoy
