Easy Crock Pot Cinnamon Cider - Recipes That Crock! (2024)

FAQs

How many cinnamon sticks per gallon of apple cider? ›

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.

Slow cook the cider for 4 hours.

(If there are clumps of spices floating at the top that you wish to remove, strain the cider through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a large pot.) Keep warm and serve in mugs garnished with more orange slices if desired.

Honestly, your cider will have a lot more flavor if you leave the peels on. There's tons of great apple flavor hiding in the skins. Don't worry—you'll strain everything through a fine mesh strainer at the end, which will catch all the solids (including the spices).

A constant cool temperature is much better than one that fluctuates. The fermentation time will depend on the room temperature and the initial starting gravity. 5 to 14 days is just a guide. The slower the fermentation the better the cider will taste.

Wild or Spontaneous Fermentation is the traditional method of making cider. Apples and pears are covered with wild yeasts, and some yeasts actually live inside the fruit, so any fresh or lightly-pasteurized apple or pear juice will naturally ferment. Wild fermentation may proceed very slowly over several months.

Right before you put your cider in the fridge, add 1 tsp allspice, 1 pinch of nutmeg, 2 whole cloves, and 2 cinnamon sticks. During cold-crashing, the flavors will seep into your cider.

Here's the difference between apple cider and apple juice: Apple cider is just unfiltered apple juice that can be served hot or cold. Mulled apple cider is unfiltered apple juice that's been heated and flavored with mulling spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and allspice; and fruits like oranges, lemons, and apples.

If the bubbles have stopped passing through the airlock, your cider may have finished fermenting. Use hydrometer to measure the Specific Gravity – if the specific gravity is 1.000 or below the fermentation will have finished.

Dark liquors like bourbon (my pick) or dark rum are traditional, but they are by no means the only option. Vodka pairs well with apple cider and is a good light option. You can even let guests each pick their own.

Recommended fermentation temperature is 68 to 72 °F (20 to 22 °C). Fermenting at higher temperatures will produce more esters, potentially developing a strongly aromatic cider.

What is the best sugar for cider making? ›

Liquid sugar is one of the most widely used sugars in cider production because its 67% sucrose content and low viscosity enable it to deliver consistent and reproducible results.

If you want it stronger just add more sugar. 17 grams of sugar per litre of juice will increase the ABV by 1%. Whether you've added sugar or not it's now time to add yeast. Use a cider yeast and add a 5 gram sachet.

There are others; Clos De Bois, for an aromatic sip, or CL-23, for a clean, crisp cider. Any beer yeast will also create apple cider, however, some are much better than others. One of our favorites is the Safale US-05, which is a yeast commonly used to make pale ales and IPAs. It has a crisp, clean flavor.

Natural yeast in the juice will ferment the sugar to alcohol. Yeast need not be added, although it can without any problem. Some fermentation processes call for killing all the yeast in the pure cider with sulfur dioxide, waiting 24 hours and then adding wine yeast. For the homeowner this is not necessary.

If we say it cost a total of $2.75 to make this batch of 48oz, that would come out to $7.15/gallon. If cost is your only factor, then once you add up the ingredients, and the time spent making the cider, it would probably be faster and cheaper to stick a gallon or two in your cart next time you visit the store.