Just a couple of years ago, the variety of alcohol in our stores was limited to wine, beer and something stronger, although recipes for making low-alcohol cider have been known for quite some time. The industrial production of this amazing drink, originally from sunny France, in Russia was established relatively recently. This is probably why its popularity is just beginning to grow and develop. Any craftsman can figure out how to make cider at home, especially if he has experience in this matter. If it doesn’t exist, then it won’t be difficult to start from scratch.
Excellent quality homemade cider
To figure out how to properly make cider at home, you first need to find out what it is and how it differs from other alcoholic drinks. First of all, I would like to talk about the raw materials for its production. These are ordinary apples, but sometimes pears, cherries, raspberries or other fruits from our orchards are also added at the initial stages. This is not provided for in the original Norman recipes, but it will certainly help to diversify the taste.
Homemade apple cider in the original is fermented apple juice, without the participation of cultivated yeast and sugar. In home recipes, these rules may be violated, but if you want to get a product that is as close as possible to the source, then you will have to strictly adhere to all recommendations and strictly follow the technology.
The alcohol content in cider is low, but the taste is fresh and pleasant, which is why girls and women rate it very highly. In English versions of the drink, the strength reaches only 1.2-1.7%; in France, consumers prefer stronger versions, from 3.5% to 12%, just like in Russia. It is believed that in natural product must be at least ninety percent natural juice without preservatives, but in fact, many dream that part of it does not fall below at least thirty percent.
Making cider at home involves many different recipes, both using pure juice from late apples and with all kinds of additives. Let's put our business aside and figure out how to properly make cider at home, breaking down the whole process step by step. Homemade cider It will turn out tasty, aromatic, and also extremely healthy if consumed in moderation and competently.
Making cider at home
So that making cider at home does not turn into real torture and flour, and in the end you do not have to throw all the raw materials into the trash, you will have to strictly follow the technology and recipe. For example, if the apple sourdough is slightly over-sitting, the taste will be hopelessly spoiled and it will be impossible to drink. In such cases it is suitable exclusively for distillation into brandy, but we want to get cider and nothing else.
Apples
The classic recipe for a drink from Normandy involves the use of only certain varieties, but it is unlikely that you will be able to find at least half of them in our area. Making cider at home will not be difficult, because you can take absolutely any fruit. The only thing that should definitely be taken into account is juiciness and tartness, since the final taste of the drink will directly depend on this.
- All apples should be carefully sorted, immediately discarding rotten and damaged fruits. It's better to keep this debris out of the cider, otherwise it will taste bad.
- You should choose juicy, sour, and tart varieties; they give the drink the “right” piquant notes. It is optimal to mix apples as indicated in, which is already posted on our website.
- Try not to use only one type of apple, as your drink will be dull and uninteresting and will lose its special flavor.
- Never wash fruits before making cider; this is unacceptable. Since yeast is not added to start the fermentation process, you can only rely on wild ones that live on the surface of the fruit. If you wash them off, then your product may not even try to ferment, but will simply turn sour.
- Before you start making cider at home, place the apples in a dry, dark place and let them sit for two or three days. This way they will finally “reach” and be prepared for subsequent processing.
- In general, if we talk about the yield, then from ten kilograms of apples, ripe, of medium juiciness, at least five liters of the original drink will come out.
Carefully ensure that no debris, stalks, leaves, etc. get into the workpiece, otherwise this will also spoil the taste and color of the final product. If necessary, the apples can be wiped with a dry, clean, soft cloth to remove traces of dirt or dust.
Cut the apples into slices and then puree them. Any device will do: a home juice press, a blender, and even a regular meat grinder. Some recipes use pure apple juice, then it should be carefully strained and squeezed, and the pulp should be discarded or mixed with brandy (moonshine). Everything here will depend on the recommendations of a specific recipe, so be careful and careful.
Dishes
It wouldn’t hurt to say a few words about the utensils you will use when making homemade cider. There are special requirements for it, without knowing which you can spoil the raw material. If you do not want to throw away all the preparations, try to follow all the advice and recommendations from professionals that we voice to you.
- It is optimal to take ceramic or glass containers for making cider. These materials do not react with aggressive environments, so it would be a good idea to focus on them.
- Metal cider tanks, vats and pans are not suitable unless they are enameled. In the latter case, you need to make sure that the enamel is not knocked down or chipped anywhere, otherwise you can ruin everything.
- You shouldn’t hope that fermentation will “hide all traces” and use dirty dishes, for example, that haven’t been washed since last time, even if it was just yesterday. Cider does not tolerate such experiments and the starter from the juice may rot instead of fermenting.
To be on the safe side, it would be better to boil all containers in advance or sterilize them in an oven or autoclave, if possible. In France, everything is done in sterile conditions, and winemakers always wear gloves so as not to introduce pathogens into their drinks, which will lead to complete spoilage.
Fermentation and fermentation
Cider is made in several stages, the first of which can safely be called fermentation of apple wort. If you want to go the traditional route, then the matter may take quite a while. The point is that in original recipe You can only use the juice itself, without pulp, sugar or yeast. But the process in this case drags on for several months, and to speed it up, you can add a little sweetness and cultivated fungi. This can also significantly reduce the time for standing and ripening.
- Place juice or applesauce in a wide-necked container and add sugar and yeast if needed.
- Cover the vessel with gauze, which can be folded in several layers, and place it in a dark and fairly warm place for four days. The temperature in the first days should not be below twenty degrees Celsius. Stir the contents thoroughly at the same time every day.
- When the active fermentation process begins, around the third or fourth day, the juice must be separated from the pulp, for which it will have to be filtered very carefully. For this, use a cotton-gauze filter, which you can make at home using improvised materials.
- The juice should be poured into a clean glass bottle with a narrower neck, where it will be convenient to install a water seal, which is what needs to be done. Leave your future cider in a dark place for the entire period of vigorous fermentation, which can take about thirty days.
If you do not have a standard, factory-made water seal, you can use the method of a rubber glove, which is placed on the neck of a bottle or a tube lowered into a glass of water. Make sure that during this period the air temperature in the room where the drink is ripening does not fall below 25-27 degrees. Upon completion of fermentation, a fairly dense yeast sediment usually falls on the bottom of the vessel, and the liquid itself becomes noticeably lighter and more transparent. As soon as the bubbling stops, the cider should be drained immediately, otherwise it will overstay and be suitable only for distillation.
Worth considering
If you don't want to wait that long, the preparation of cider can be significantly speeded up by initial stage. To do this, you need to let the pulp ferment for some time (5-7 days), and then stop this process. Squeeze out the juice using gauze and refrigerate for three days. All that remains is to drain the finished juice from the sediment with a tube and pour it into dark bottles. Cider can be stored for up to three years at a temperature not exceeding five degrees Celsius.
Maturation and bottling
After rapid fermentation of cider, it must be decanted, that is, drained from the sediment using a special straw. Try to do this as carefully and carefully as possible so that the taste of the final product does not deteriorate.
- Stir the juice very well and vigorously for 20-30 minutes to remove any remaining carbon dioxide from it.
- Pour the cider almost up to the neck into the fermentation vessel and reinstall the water seal.
- Place the containers in a dark but cool place, where the drink will mature on its own for a long time without outside intervention. The room temperature should be within 10-15 degrees.
After a month, sediment may form at the bottom again; it will also have to be removed exactly as the first time. After this, install the water seal again and leave the drink for two to three months for final ripening. It is recommended to bottle cider exclusively in dark glass bottles, as ultraviolet rays will spoil the taste and color. It is advisable to pour almost up to the neck and seal tightly. Keep it like this amazing drink can be refrigerated for three or even five years, without any significant loss in taste or aroma.
Sparkling homemade cider
Traditional, classic cider does not always turn out carbonated, but this zest is what makes it unusual and in demand. In Spain, the drink is poured into a glass from a great height in a thin stream so that it is saturated with oxygen and has a certain sparkling flavor. Real carbonated cider can be made at home, giving it this property through simple manipulations.
- Before pouring the finished product into bottles and sealing, you need to add one teaspoon of sugar to them.
- Be sure to pour cider into bottles up to the neck and seal them tightly. To prevent traffic jams from siphoning, you can use regular postal sealing wax.
- You need to leave the bottles in a dark and warm room for another four days. During this time, the remaining unfermented yeast will feed on sugar and add carbonation to the drink.
The fermentation process must be stopped immediately after due date. To do this, all bottles are placed in the refrigerator for at least a week. After this, you can store the cider in the same way as usual, without resorting to any special measures or conditions.
Video hint on how and what cider is made from
Anyone can make cider, since this process does not require special knowledge or skills. The main thing is to follow the steps of the process exactly. If you have any additional questions, watch the video below, it will be useful and interesting to many.
Find the most perfect, reliable homemade cider recipes on the exciting culinary website site. Try the drink options not only from apples, but also from pears, cherries and other fruits. Learn how to make carbonated drinks and classic wines. Create pleasure with your own hands!
Cider is a drink originally from France. Classic cider is produced by fermentation apple juice"wild" yeast. However, it can also be created from other fruits and a variety of fruit combinations. The ideal ratio in a classic cider recipe is one part sour fruit (for example, apples) to two parts sweet. An interesting nuance is that the fruits should never be washed before preparing cider! This technique is used to preserve so-called natural “wild” yeast on the surface, which will help ferment the juice.
The five most commonly used ingredients in homemade cider recipes are:
Interesting recipe:
1. Carefully wash and dry the vessels in which the drink will be prepared.
2. Remove leaves and stems from apples, wipe, chop until smooth, including peel and seeds.
3. Fill the containers 2/3 full. Add sugar. Mix.
4. Cover the necks with a cloth (or gauze). Place in a warm, draft-free place for natural fermentation for 3-4 days.
5. Be sure to stir once a day fruit puree.
6. When a characteristic yeast smell, foam and hissing appear, strain the mixture.
7. Pour the fermented juice into a clean container. Leave under a water seal for 45-70 days in a dark place.
8. When the liquid becomes lighter, gas bubbles will no longer be released and sediment will appear at the bottom, strain the cider.
9. Bottle.
10. Seal tightly.
11. Leave in a cool (10-12°) dark place to ripen for 11-12 weeks.
Five of the fastest homemade cider recipes:
Helpful Tips:
. For apple cider late and winter varieties, which contain quite a lot of sugars and tannins.
. You cannot use green or overripe fruits: unripe ones are too sour, and overripe ones have lost the necessary juiciness.
The cider is a light apple wine with a subtle aftertaste. A gentle drink came to us from France. There are several options for making cider: based on apples and with the addition of pears. In most cases, alcoholic food is prepared by fermenting fruit with yeast, subsequently giving it a gaseous state.
How to make apple cider
It is not necessary to give preference to one type of apple; combine them and experiment. As practice shows, the ideal ratio has been calculated, which involves preparing cider from two parts of sweet fruits and one part of sour ones.
- apples - 8 kg.
- granulated sugar - 1 kg.
- Collect the apples, wipe with a dry towel and place in a paper bag. Place in a warm cupboard for 3 days. The fruits cannot be washed, since the cider is prepared using wild yeast that lives on the peel.
- After the expiration date, peel the apples from twigs and leaves. Cut into small cubes and puree using a blender, food processor or meat grinder.
- Select a suitable container for infusing the composition, sterilize it by boiling water in it. Dry thoroughly, wipe, and transfer the applesauce to the pan. Important! Choose a container so that the apples do not fill it completely (approximately 2/3). You can use regular three-liter glass jars. In this case, it is necessary to divide the puree into several containers and leave room for gas and foam to form.
- After packaging the puree into jars, add sugar (preferably cane) to each composition. Based on the calculation that per 1 kg. mass is 125 g. sand. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the original variety of apples: the sweeter they are, the less sugar is added. In the end, you should end up with a sweet, not too cloying wort.
- Stir the mixture in each container, pull a gauze cloth or bandage over the neck. Send the composition to infuse in a dark place (pantry, closet), the exposure time is 4-5 days. Avoid places with sharp temperature changes (cellar, balcony, etc.).
- Stir the wort with a wooden spoon every morning and evening. The mixture will be whipped into a dense layer and strengthened on the surface of the composition. You need to constantly “stoke” it. After 10-15 hours after the formation of the whipped layer, a characteristic hissing and foam will appear, this will be a consequence of the start of fermentation.
- Now pick up another container, but not for infusion, but for fermenting the wort. Boil it, wipe it dry. Squeeze all the juice from the apple mixture into a jar and place it on the neck rubber glove. Use a needle to pierce 2 holes in the middle finger.
- Place the composition in a dark, dry place with temperature conditions from 20 to 26 degrees. The duration of fermentation ranges from one to two months. After this period, the glove will fall to one side, a characteristic sediment will appear at the bottom of the jar, and the cider will turn light. All these signs indicate the end of fermentation. Important! There are cases when fermentation lasts more than two months. You shouldn’t wait any longer in hopes that the cider is “just about to ripen.” Using a silicone tube, pour the mixture into another jar and leave to ferment under the same conditions.
- After fermentation is complete, carefully drain the cider, being careful not to stir up any sediment. Prepare a filter for straining: fold the gauze into 4 layers, place cotton wool between them. Skip the drink, pour it into dark bottles, cork (roll up). Important! If you do not plan to further saturate the cider with carbon dioxide, fill the bottles up to the neck. Otherwise, leave extra space.
- After sealing the composition, send the cider to ripen in a dark, cool place (recommended temperature 8-10 degrees, no changes) for 3-3.5 months. After this period, the drink is considered ready.
In the end, you will get cider with a delicate golden color, 8-12% strength, with a sweet taste and light aroma. When drinking the drink in small quantities, there is no hangover.
The traditional cider recipe includes only apples, however experienced housewives came up with an original variation of the drink with the addition of pears. Final result You will be pleased, the product is moderately sweet, easy to drink, and not addictive.
- pears - 5 kg.
- green apples - 3 kg.
- red apples - 2 kg.
- granulated cane sugar - 700 gr.
- bentonite (optional)
Betonite is necessary for cider clarification; it is added as desired. In addition to the above ingredients, you will also need an infusion container, a fermentation vessel, a saucepan, and dark bottles (glass or plastic).
- Decide for yourself how you will ferment the composition. In the case where cultural baker's yeast fruits must be washed. If you decide to use the wild fermentation method, then pears and apples need to be wiped with a dry towel.
- Next, you need to extract the juice from the fruit. To do this, remove the twigs and leaves, cut the fruit into pieces, and pass through a meat grinder, food processor, blender or juicer.
- After the composition has turned into porridge, prepare a bag of gauze fabric, folding it in several layers. Then squeeze the liquid into a clean glass jar (pre-sterilized).
- If you decide to ferment the composition with wild yeast, send it to a dark place with a stable temperature. When fermenting with nutritional yeast, add it according to the manufacturer's instructions. If desired, you can add granulated sugar (50-70 grams per 1 liter of composition) if apples and pears do not have enough taste.
- When the mixture is mixed, put a medical glove on the neck and pierce one hole with a needle in the middle or index finger. As a rule, fermentation is completed after 1-2 months.
- After this period, you can add bentonite to the cider, giving the drink a delicate beige tint. To properly mix the drug, dissolve in small quantity purified water 40-50 g. composition per 10 liters of the future drink. Pour into cider, shake the jar so that the crystals dissolve completely and do not settle. Wait 3 days, then remove from the sediment.
- Finish cooking by pouring the mixture into plastic bottles. Seal them and place them in the refrigerator or cellar for 1 month. After this period, proceed to tasting, if necessary, re-strain.
Not everyone likes non-carbonated drinks; some prefer to drink the composition with bubbles. For these purposes, carbon dioxide saturation was invented, which we will consider in more detail.
- After fermentation is complete, be sure to remove the sediment from the drink. A filter made of 6 layers of gauze and an oblong piece of cotton wool placed between them will help you with this. The mixture must be passed through a kind of sieve several times.
- The strained composition must be poured into plastic or glass bottles. In this case, the containers must be pre-sterilized. Cider is poured only into dry cans, since even a drop of untreated water will spoil the product.
- After careful preparation, place sugar (beetroot or cane) on the bottom of the bottles. For 1 liter of composition there are 12 grams. sand. Sugar will provoke repeated fermentation, as a result of which carbon dioxide will begin to be released.
- After this, pour cider into the bottles, step back about 7 cm from the neck to leave room for foam. Screw on the lids, take them to a dark closet or pantry, and leave for 2 weeks. Important! Twice a day it is necessary to check the gas pressure in the containers. At elevated levels, the bottles will explode or swell, so periodically unscrew the caps and release the gas.
- After infusing at room temperature, transfer the finished cider to the refrigerator and store under these conditions continuously.
You can prepare an exquisite French drink yourself without spending a pretty penny. Choose your favorite variety of apples or pears, grind the fruits into porridge, squeeze out the juice and infuse the wort. Add granulated sugar in moderation so that the cider does not turn out cloying.
Video: homemade apple cider recipe
Cider is a traditionally southern European drink. In our country, grape rather than fruit wines were much more popular. And appeared, in last years on the shelves there are products supposedly fermented original recipes, does not stand up to criticism. Yes, we have no time for that, we take a couple of buckets of apples, and...
Homemade apple cider - general technological principles
Apple cider – light alcoholic drink, which is quite possible to prepare at home, even without using special equipment. It is enough to have a meat grinder or any other kitchen chopper on hand, a large container for preparing wort and several glass bottles with a water seal installed on them. Gauze is also useful for filtration.
The technology for making homemade cider from apples consists of the following stages:
1. collection, selection and preparation of fruits suitable for preparing a drink;
2. receiving from original product juice;
3. preparation and fermentation of wort;
4. direct fermentation;
5. removing sediment from the semi-finished drink and filtering it;
6. bottling and infusion finished product.
To make delicious cider, you should take well-ripened fruits. They should not show signs of rot or wormholes, otherwise the drink will be spoiled. It is advisable not to wash fruits before use; they are wiped with a linen towel so as not to remove the so-called wild yeast, promoting faster fermentation.
You can use almost any apple. By combining different varieties, each time you get new taste, aroma and color of the prepared drink. Traditionally, it is customary to take one part sour to two parts sweet fruits.
To obtain juice, prepared fruits are crushed unpeeled and left until the puree separates into pulp and juice, which is then decanted.
Sugar is added to the squeezed juice and left for further fermentation. But there are recipes for apple cider at home without necessarily adding sugar. The fermentation process in in this case lasts for several days. The prepared wort is placed under a water seal for a while. After gas ceases to be released from it, the finished cider is filtered and sent to age in a cool place, sealed in a clean container.
Often, homemade apple cider is made with other fruits, such as pears, spices, lemon zest or honey.
The simplest recipe for apple cider at home
This is how they prepare an intoxicating, sweetish drink, the color of honey, with a strength of up to 12%. It is also called “hangover-free” because it is easy to drink and in reasonable doses does not remind you of yourself the next morning.
Ingredients:
10 kg aromatic, a must ripe apples;
Sugar – 1.5 kg.
Cooking method:
1. Remove the stems from the fruit and wipe well with a linen napkin, cut into slices and, together with the peel and seeds, grind in a meat grinder. If you have a food processor or blender, it is better to use them.
2. Rinse three-liter glass jars thoroughly with soda in hot water, scald with boiling water and wipe dry with a towel. Fill the containers applesauce no less than 2/3 of the volume. The approximate weight of the apple juice in the bottle is 2.5 kg.
3. Pour sugar into each jar, calculating 100–150 grams. per kilo of fruit puree. Take into account the initial sweetness of the product. The prepared wort should taste moderately sweet, but not seem cloying, much less sour.
4. Stir, tie the necks with 4 layers of gauze. Place for fermentation in a place inaccessible to direct sunlight, but not too cool, for 4 days. Mix the contents of the jars well every day, trying to mix the layer of pulp that has accumulated on top with the apple juice as best as possible.
5. After 4 days, pour the contents of the cans into a clean container, straining it through a metal sieve, and squeeze it out here. apple pulp.
6. Install a water seal on the container and remove the cider for further fermentation for 36 days in a room without access to light. The air temperature in it should not exceed 27 degrees and fall below 18 degrees.
7. When the drink stops producing bubbles, becomes noticeably lighter in color, and sediment has settled to the bottom of the container, the apple cider is ready.
8. Filter it through 4–5 layers of gauze, pour it into clean containers up to the neck and seal tightly.
9. Let the drink mature for three months in a cold room or refrigerator, and only then take the first sample.
How to make apple cider without sugar (from juice)
This is a classic Western European recipe. According to rumors, this is the drink that was served in taverns during the times of the musketeers. It is prepared without added sugar and is considered a pure, natural drink. To prepare, you will need a juicer, since the drink is made from juice.
Ingredients:
Ripe sweet apples
Cooking method:
1. Cut off the tails of fruits and do not rinse. If you still have to wash them, wipe them dry, put them in one layer in a box and leave them to stand for at least three days.
2. Then squeeze the juice out of them using a juicer. Do not peel or cut out the seeds, they are also necessary. Pour all the juice into a large saucepan and leave for 24 hours at normal room temperature.
3. After this, drain it from the sediment, pour it into a fermentation container with a narrow neck and install a water seal. Keep the strained juice in a dark place at 20–27 degrees for at least five days, until it stops fermenting.
4. Using a straw, so as not to capture the sediment that has settled at the bottom, pour the semi-finished drink into prepared dry bottles or glass jars and seal them tightly. Place the containers in a cool room and leave for four months. Optimal temperature exposure from 6 to 12 degrees Celsius.
5. Filter the ready-to-drink drink again and bottle it for further storage.
6. The shelf life of cider prepared in this way, when stored in a basement or refrigerator, can last up to three years.
Homemade apple cider recipe, no sugar
This technique is quite labor-intensive. The fermentation rate slows down due to the lack of sugar, but if the technology is followed, the result, as they say, is worth the candle.
Ingredients:
Sweet aromatic apples – 2 kg;
Cooking method:
1. Cut the sorted, unwashed, thoroughly wiped apples into slices, twist in a meat grinder and transfer to a large stainless steel container. You can use a food processor, but you should not use a juicer, as you need the juice and all the pulp to prepare the drink. If there is no other option, and the juicer is still in use, do not throw away the pulp, but mix it with the juice immediately after squeezing.
2. After stirring well, cover the top of the container with several layers of gauze and secure it well. Keep the apple mass in a warm place for at least a week, until a dense cap of risen pulp forms on the surface. Then strain everything well on a sieve and squeeze the cake well to extract the remaining juice. There won't be much of it, but it's needed.
3. Pour the strained liquid into a clean three-liter jar, install a water seal on the neck and leave in a warm place without light for up to 2 months.
4. When the fermentation process has completely stopped, filter the apple cider, carefully draining the drink from the sediment, and package it in clean bottles or jars. Seal tightly and store in a fairly cool place.
Recipe for homemade apple cider with honey
If you want to treat yourself to an unusual honey cider, then set out to make a sparkling, apple-honey drink. This method is even more troublesome, and you will have to perform many additional steps, but the result will be a completely original, incomparable cider with an apple-honey aroma.
Ingredients:
1.5 kg of light viscous honey;
Six liters of spring or simply well-purified water;
8 kg of selected sweet apples.
Cooking method:
1. Cut clean, unwashed, towel-wiped apples into small slices. Take gauze, fold it in several layers and sew a bag of a suitable size, into which you place it. apple slices. Tie the free edges of the linen container tightly and place it in a large enamel, earthenware, or wooden container.
2. Place a wooden circle with 3-centimeter holes drilled on top and place a weight - a 10-liter bucket filled with water.
3. Boil the prepared drinking water and cool it. Then dilute the honey well in it and pour the prepared honey syrup into a saucepan with apples, cover with gauze and put away for fermentation for 35 days in a cool place, excluding light.
4. After this, carefully drain the liquid into a clean bowl and leave, and fill the pulp remaining in the bag with the same honey syrup, quantitatively equal to the drained liquid, and again leave for 35 days.
5. Drain the cider again, but into another clean container, leaving that too. Pour the same newly prepared syrup into the pan again and keep it for the same time, under the same conditions, strain.
6. Mix the freshly strained cider with the previously drained drink, stir and let sit. Be patient, it needs to be kept cool for at least nine months.
7. Drain the finally fermented homemade apple cider from the sediment and leave it in the cold for another four weeks, tightly sealed in a clean container.
How to make cider from apples and pears with spices
The recipe does not use sugar. In order not to slow down the fermentation of the product, take well-ripened sweet pears and sour varieties of apples.
Ingredients:
Sweet ripe pears– 5 kg;
7 kg any fragrant apples, ripe;
Coriander seeds;
Elderberry flowers.
Cooking method:
1. Peel the fruits, cut them into small slices and pass through a meat grinder using the finest rack. Transfer the fruit puree into a large enamel saucepan, cover with gauze and refrigerate for 2 days. Be sure to stir the fruit puree well every five hours to ensure the product ferments evenly. Then place a wooden circle on top of the fruit mass and place a weight on top.
2. Pour the released juice into a glass or any other container and measure its amount. Mix it with the same volume boiled water and leave to ferment for a week, installing a water seal on the neck of the container.
3. Tie the spices in a gauze bag, lower it into the cider that has not yet finished fermenting and leave under the water seal until fermentation stops. Then strain, seal in suitable containers and leave in a cool place for another month.
A quick recipe for apple cider at home
The accelerated method for producing homemade cider from apples differs significantly from the established technology, but the drink is no less tasty and can be consumed within a week.
Ingredients:
10 liters of filtered water;
2 kg sugar;
Selected ripe small apples – 8 kg;
Two large lemons.
Cooking method:
1. Halve the apples, cut out the core from the fruit and place them in a suitable container.
2. Fill the fruit halves with water and add the scraped fruit with a fine grater. lemon zest. Tie the pan with gauze folded in 4-5 layers and place it close to heat for a week. Don't forget to stir the contents at least once a day.
3. Strain the brewed drink several times, pour it into liter or larger bottles and cool. Immediately after this, the cider can be drunk.
How to make apple cider for a children's party (non-alcoholic)
Ingredients:
Two spoons of honey;
One large orange;
Cinnamon sticks- 2 pcs.;
Five carnation umbrellas;
1.2 kg of ripe, sweet and sour apples.
Cooking method:
1. Squeeze the juice out of thoroughly washed apples using any available method and pour it into a saucepan.
2. Add spices and bring to a boil. Then cool slightly, add honey and stir until it is completely dissolved.
3. Place the container on the fire again, without bringing it to a boil, and boil the non-alcoholic cider for another 10 minutes. Then cool and strain cold.
4. Serve well chilled, garnish cups or glasses with orange rings.
Homemade apple cider recipe (from home drying)
Ingredients:
One kilogram of homemade dried apple fruits;
10 liters of clean drinking water;
A small handful of dark raisins.
Cooking method:
1. Wash the apple, light, drying cold water, but do not rinse thoroughly. Place in a container of sufficient volume and fill with boiled cold water.
2. Cover the top of the container with gauze and place it in a cool room for six days until the fermentation process begins.
3. Strain the wort that has started to play, pour into glass containers, add raisins, install a water seal and leave in the same room for another month, until the wort stops fermenting.
4. Ready drink Filter 3-4 times and only then pour into clean containers with tight-fitting lids. Store in the refrigerator or basement.
Homemade apple cider - cooking tricks and useful tips
Preparing homemade cider according to these recipes involves obtaining a “still” non-carbonated drink. To make cider carbonated, the drink removed from the sediment is poured into clean plastic or glass containers with lids, not filling 6 cm to the neck. First, sugar is poured into an empty container at the rate of 10 grams. per liter of volume. The filled containers are tightly sealed and placed in a dark place for 12–15 days, making sure to check the gas pressure once a day.
In most cases, cider is made by fermenting apple juice with wild yeast. But any other juice will do, for example pear juice; the technology does not change. I will tell you how to make cider at home using two proven recipes: from apples and pure juice. Separately, we will consider a natural method of saturating a drink with carbon dioxide.
Cider is regular (“still”) or carbonated apple wine with just a different name, which came to us from France, where it is called “Cidre.” The method for preparing the two drinks is identical.
If the apples are very sour: they literally tighten your cheekbones and sting your tongue, it is advisable to reduce the acidity by diluting the juice with water (up to 100 ml per 1 liter). It should be remembered that adding sugar also reduces the acid content. If the acidity is normal, water is not needed; it worsens the taste of the drink, making it “watery.”
Homemade apple cider
Apples different varieties can be combined. The ideal ratio is one in which one part sour apples mixed with two parts sweet. Pear cider is made using the same technology. If possible, I advise you to prepare an assortment - mix pears and apples in equal proportions.
Ingredients:
- apples – 10 kg;
- sugar – 1.5 kg;
- water (in rare cases) – up to 1 liter.
1. Wipe the collected apples with a dry cloth (do not wash them) and place them in a warm room for 2-3 days. Wild yeast lives on the surface of the fruit, which is needed for fermentation; it is important not to wash it off.
2. Remove leaves and tails. Grind the apples, peel and seeds, with a blender or meat grinder until smooth.
3. Rinse the fermentation container hot water and wipe dry. Fill with crushed apples to a maximum of 2/3 of the volume. For example, if you use three liter jars, then you can put up to 2.5 kg of apple juice in each jar. Free space is needed for foam and carbon dioxide.
4. For every kilogram of apples, add 100-150 grams of sugar, depending on the initial sweetness. The wort should be sweet, but not cloying. Mix.
5. Tie the neck of the container with gauze and place it in a dark place for 3-4 days. room temperature. Stir the contents of the jars every day, knocking down the dense top layer and drowning it in the juice. After 8-16 hours, a characteristic smell of fermentation, foam and hissing appears.
6. Squeeze the juice out of the apple juice, which is then poured into a clean, dry container for fermentation. Next, install a water seal on the jar (barrel) or attach a medical glove with a hole in one of the fingers (pierce it with a needle).
Cider under a homemade water seal 
Glove instead of water seal 7. Homemade apple cider should ferment in a dark place at a temperature of 18-27°C for approximately 30-65 days. Then sediment will appear at the bottom, the water seal will not release bubbles (the glove will fall off) and the drink will noticeably lighten, which means that fermentation has ended.
If fermentation does not stop after 50 days from the moment the water seal is installed, to avoid bitterness, you need to drain the cider through a straw into another container and leave it to ferment under the same conditions.
8. Drain the fermented cider from the sediment, then pass through 3-4 layers of gauze.
9. Pour the filtered drink into bottles (if you do not plan to saturate with gas, fill to the neck) and close tightly with stoppers. Homemade cider can also be stored in jars with lids.
10. The drink should mature for three months in a cool room (6-12°C). Then you can move on to tasting.
Ready cider after 60 days of aging The result is honey-colored cider with a pleasant sweet taste and a strength of 7-12% (depending on the initial sugar content of the apples). It is easy to drink and does not cause a hangover in moderation.
Apple cider made from juice without sugar
A classic recipe used in England and France. Will please fans natural drinks, as it is made without sugar.
Cooking technology:
1. Leave the squeezed juice for a day in a dark place at room temperature.
2. Remove the juice from the sediment, pour into a fermentation container and install a water seal (medical glove).
3. Place the container for 3-5 weeks in a dark place with a temperature of 20-27°C.
4. After fermentation is complete (the signs are described in step 7 of the previous recipe), pour the cider through a straw into another container, being careful not to touch the sediment at the bottom.
5. If you do not plan to saturate with carbon dioxide, close the container tightly, then keep for 3-4 months in a dark room with a temperature of +6-12°C.
6. Filter again, pour into bottles, and seal tightly. If stored in the refrigerator or basement, the shelf life is up to 3 years. Depending on the sugar content of apples, the strength is 6-10%.
Aged cider without sugar How to make cider carbonated
Preparing cider according to the two above recipes involves obtaining a so-called “still” drink without gas, in fact, an ordinary one apple wine. To saturate the cider with gas, you need to do the following:
1. After fermentation is complete, remove the homemade cider from the sediment.
2. Prepare bottles (plastic or glass): wash and wipe dry.
3. Add sugar to the bottom of each bottle (10 grams per 1 liter of volume). The sugar will cause a slight re-fermentation, which will release carbon dioxide.
4. Fill the bottles with cider, leaving 5-6 cm of free space from the neck. Seal tightly with stoppers or lids.
5. Transfer the containers to a dark room at room temperature for 10-14 days. Check the gas pressure once a day.
Attention! If the pressure is too high, bottles can burst, so it is very important to vent (release) excess gas in a timely manner if it accumulates.
6. Transfer the sparkling cider to the refrigerator or basement. Before use, refrigerate for 3-4 days.
