Hot Apple Cider Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can I just heat up apple cider? ›

1. Combine apple juice or apple cider with cloves and cinnamon in a microwaveable mug, cup or glass. 2. Heat in the microwave oven, uncovered, for 2 to 3 minutes.

For these spiked apple cider cocktails, I like using spiced rum the best. Bourbon is my second favorite. Vodka also works great, and tequila can be used too.

Caramel. Caramel and apple is an iconic combination. Next time you heat up your favorite apple cider recipe to enjoy next to the fire, stir in some caramel sauce, a sprinkle of cinnamon and top with whipped cream. Trust us, this one is too tasty to pass up.

Per gallon of cider, I recommend using 4 cinnamon sticks and 1 teaspoon each of your chosen spices. Use whole ones, if you can—ground spices will give your cider an unpleasant gritty texture.

Simply take a fine mesh sieve and pour your apple cider through. This will prevent a mushy mess of unappetizing apple chunks floating in your drink. Store it in an airtight container, and when you want to reheat your apple cider, it's ready to pop in the microwave for one to two minutes.

Apple cider contains polyphenols, which are compounds in plants that act as antioxidants. They can help the body to fight against free radicals and cell damage, lowering your risk of certain types of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Polyphenols also help to ease inflammation in the body.

I prefer bourbon but whiskey or a dark rum with caramel flavors would also work wonderfully. What kind of bourbon goes in spiked apple cider? I used Makers Mark for this recipe which is one of my favorite bourbon brands. However, other brands I also recommend Four Roses or Woodford Reserve as other great options.

The process for making apple cider and spiced apple cider is the same. The main difference is that spiced apple cider is, well, spiced! It typically has been infused with flavors of different warm spices (like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg) versus regular apple cider which gets its flavor solely from the apples.

Apple cider is apple juice that has not been filtered and still contains all the apple pieces, pulp, and sediment. It is the raw, purer version of apple juice. To make an alcoholic cider, yeast is added which converts the sugar into alcohol. Simple right? Hard cider is the adult version of apple cider.

Apples and bourbon are a match made in heaven and this fruity cocktail takes things a step further by doubling down on apple flavor. The combination of tangy apple cider, sweet apple brandy, and cinnamon syrup creates a warming, autumnal bourbon cocktail that has the aroma of fresh apple pie.

Why does my apple cider taste weird? ›

Apple Cider may not taste as good after it begins to “turn”. It will become darker in color and start to froth. When those things start to occur, it just means the cider is undergoing fermentation. It will taste more sour like vinegar, but it's by no means harmful.

Selecting Apples

It takes 15 pounds of apples to produce a gallon of cider.

Sweeten to taste with sugar, honey, apple juice or frozen apple juice concentrate prior to bottling. Six ounces of sugar per gallon will result in a medium sweet cider.

To the cider add 1lb. of sugar per gallon for a dry hard cider (not sweet) or 1 1/2 lbs. for a sweet drink. Honey can be substituted for sugar on a pound per pound basis.

directions. Combine apple cider and spices and sugar in a heat resistant mug that can go into the microwave. Heat, uncovered, in microwave 2 minutes. Let stand until cool enough to drink.

Essentially apple juice is apple cider that has been heated to change the color, flavor, and texture. The color is transparent, and the flavor is sweeter. Apple juice has a smooth texture because it's usually strained to eliminate pulp and sediment found in more traditional apple cider.

Why It Works. This recipe is a classic reduction, an ideal way to concentrate the sweetness and tang of a well-balanced cider. Boiled cider syrup can be used to add depth to barbecue or baked beans and as a glaze for an apple cake or homemade apple fritters.

As the name might imply, it is comprised quite simply of one ingredient—sweet apple cider—that has been boiled for hours and hours to evaporate off a significant amount of water and reduce it to a sticky, amber-colored syrup. It looks a lot like its maple sap–derived cousin, but flavor-wise is in a league all its own.