10 Minute Hard Cider

What’s so cool about this hard cider recipe?

I have made this hard cider recipe a couple of times with great results. Every other Saturday night it is a bit of a tradition in our house to have some friends around for drinks or maybe dinner. These evenings have tended to vary in style from a formal dinner party to a BBQ to a somewhat inebriated evening where we will play silly games. The type of evening depending to a large extent upon the type of people we have invited and what we think they will enjoy. One particular Saturday I found myself responsible for organizing the drinks for the evening’s entertainment. This particular evening was to be a ‘come around for chat, drinks and snacks’ evening. We call this ‘the quiet Sunday after evening’, I’m sure you get the idea. Now I had a selection of beer and wine, the usual staples, but wanted to do something to make the evening different. I had some hard cider bubbling, brewing away nicely but it was at least a month away from being ready to drink. What to do?

It is not unheard of for us to play tricks on our guests and with that in mind I formed a plan.

A quick trip to the store and a raid of our cold room produced the ingredients I needed. I put a few cartons of apple juice into a large mixing container, added an assortment of spirits including Vodka and Rum, Cinnamon sticks, Honey and fruit and adjusted for taste. I then poured the concoction into a keg style barrel so that I would be able to serve the result as a draft beverage without anyone being able to see the mix before it hit their glass.

As our guests arrived I offered them a drink asking if they would like to try my latest brew. The typical response, especially from the guys was, “err, got a regular beer?” “Sure” I would say, “would you mind just trying a small sample of this hard cider and tell me what you think?” I then proceeded to pour a small, very small, tumbler of the mix. The one consistent reaction to the sample was a kind of eye rolling accompanied with an intake of breath. “More?” I would ask innocently reaching for a larger glass.

I feel no guilt whatsoever, probably because I have never admitted the true nature of this concoction before. Maybe I am simply an immoral person but I have created a whole mystic around my cider making abilities, embroidering the nature of this particular brew with comments such as “yep, that brew took me eleven months to ferment. It’s a secret recipe handed down through my family for at least three generations, I’m glad you liked it.”

This really is a 10 minute process from start to finish. Essentially it is actually a kind of fruit punch though it still has all the apparent attributes of a home brewed hard cider. I’m sure lot of hard cider enthusiast (read snobs), are rolling their eyes in dismay upon reading this far.

There was a scientific experiment conducted upon wine connoisseurs, where, with the usual double blind process, these experts were consistently fooled by white which was wine colored red. The experiment demonstrated that our vision will overpower other senses in deciding what is real. I think one of the keys to making this drink work so successfully was dispensing the liquid from a barrel as one would a draft beer.

Here is the specific recipe I used on that first evening, though I have to say the fun in this particular recipe is experimenting and making your own mix, adjusting to individual taste as you go. Also I would never suggest that anyone mislead others as I have unless you all share a good and strong sense of humor!

What is the essence of the recipe?

Yep, this really is a 10 minute, start to finish job. Normally apples are fermented to produce the alcohol however it this case the alcohol is added separately short circuiting the process. It is really better described as a fruit punch, however as it is made of apple juice and has alcohol in it can be referred to as hard cider. Take apple juice, add a spirit or two, maybe fruit and cinnamon and away you go. Great recipe for parties!

Ingredients

1 gallon apple juice

1 bottle of Vodka (750ml)

4 – 8 tbsps clear honey (according to taste)

Directions Nothing too strenuous here

Mix it up and chill

Considerations and variations

Real brewed hard cider is usually cloudy so using apple juice with pulp will add an air of authenticity. Any spirits will work, Port, Rum, Spiced Rum, Schnapps and Goldschläger can be particularly good. Avoid Gin as its distinctive aroma is a bit of a giveaway. Use the alternatives or additions to honey below to obscure the taste of stronger flavored spirits.

Try alternatives to honey to create your own unique result. Add cinnamon, cloves and or ginger. Add real fruit, liquidized fruit and or small proportions of other fruit juices. Use pear juice as an alternative to apple juice.

Keep quantities proportional, 10% – 20% spirit to apple juice works best. Typically one bottle of spirit per gallon of juice is about right. Add other ingredients to taste.

Use a brewing keg available for just $10-$15 to dispense. Appearance is everything, if you dispense from one of these your guests will not question your brews pedigree.

Lastly drop a few cubes of previously frozen apple juice into mix to keep the brew chilled all evening.

Gluten Free?

Hard Cider is a great long drink for Celiacs because it is made from apples which contain no gluten. This recipe can be made gluten free simply by being careful regarding which spirits are added. Here are some suggestions. It should be noted that because manufacturers can change their ingredients without notice care should be taken to check individually before use. As a guideline the following spirits are usually gluten free.

Potato Vodka, Rum, Sake, Ouzo, Grappa, Cognac, Brandy, Tequila

Vodka is usually made with grain but there are quite a few brands that make the potato version. Potato Vodka usually has a smoother taste, try it!

Rum is usually made with Sugar Cane

Sake is made from rice, though barley can sometimes be added to aid the fermentation process usually in the cheaper brands. Always check with the manufacturer.

Ouzo is made with Aniseed and often Fennel seed and other similar aromatic plants.

Cognac and Grappa are usually made from grapes.

Brandy is usually made from pears, raspberries, cherries, and other fruits.

Tequila usually made from the blue agave plant but again there are some cheaper brands where other products are used.

Some good links for more information regarding Gluten free spirits

The Gluten free Kitchen

http://gfkitchen.server101.com/GFAlcohol.htm#Tequila

Celiac.com

http://www.celiac.com/articles/222/1/Gluten-Free-Alcoholic-Beverages/Page1.html

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