Homemade Apple Cider

Last weekend, I was in an adventurous mood. I have always wanted to try to make apple cider from scratch and since I still had a ton of apples left from my trip, I thought, why not try it out. After looking up several recipes, I decided it wasn’t too difficult. Lies! This was definitely a struggle, based on several kitchen mishaps, but more on that later.  First, I cut up the apples into quarters and place them into a large pot. Then, I added enough water to cover the apples and poured in some sugar. I tied my spices up in the closest thing I could find to cheesecloth in Korea. The cloth I bought is used to make tofu, but unfortunately it’s not quite as permeable as needed for this task. Also another note, after making this cider, I don’t think it is necessary to use the cloth to wrap the spices. Just let them float freely in the water and pick the cinnamon sticks out later.

I have a pretty big pot, but it turns out it was just slightly too small. When I began boiling the apples, the water kept splashing over the edge. That was the first small mishap. 

The next step was to let it cook for what seemed like an eternity. The first hour involved cooking the apples on high. Almost all the water had evaporated and I was left with a pulpy mess. I added about a quarter cup of water and then, following the directions of my recipe, I turned the temperature down to low and waited for two more hours. Finally, the cider was done right? Nope. The next step is to strain the apple mush over cheesecloth to separate the liquid from the pulp. This proved to be extremely difficult with the particular cloth that I had. I tried squeezing with all my might and only managed to get a few tablespoons into the bowl. Since I had spent almost all afternoon on this project, I didn’t want to give up. I tied the cloth around a glass pitcher, squished the pulp down and threw it into the fridge to let drain overnight. I woke up in the morning to a disappointing sight. The glass pitcher looked like there was only about a cup’s worth of liquid in it. Boy was I angry. The cloth I was using was two layers so I cut it so it was only one layer and the Simmering Seoulmate and I took turns squeezing by hand. Finally, after about twenty minutes of struggle and frustration, I called it complete. There was about two cups of liquid. It tasted very sweet, so after adding some more water to dilute, we enjoyed a small shot glass taster portion. I don’t really enjoy super sugary drinks, so I have decided to use the cider to make some delicious cocktails.

All in all, I probably won’t be making this cider again in Korea, but I might try making it again with the proper tools back home in Canada. I’m still calling this adventure a success, because now I can warm my belly on a cool fall night with a delicious cocktail or two. Plus, my house smelled absolutely heavily the entire day. Check out the full recipe below and let me know if you’ve ever tried making your own cider.

Apple Cider

Ingredients

8-10 apples

1/2 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1/4 tsp ground cloves (ground or whole)

Directions
Cut apples into quarters. Don’t worry about peeling and coring the apples. Next, place the apples in a large pot and fill with enough water to just cover the apples. Stir in the sugar. Wrap the cinnamon sticks and cloves in doubled up cheese cloth and place in the pot. Boil uncovered on high heat for one hour. After an hour, turn heat down to low and let simmer for another two hours. Remove spices, and mash mixture with a potato masher. Last, squeeze mixture through cheese cloth into a bowl and discard remaining pulp. This recipe only made about 500 ml of cider.