How to make apple cider at home

Cider is a light apple wine with a delicate 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 on yeast, subsequently giving it a gaseous state.

How to make apple cider

It is not necessary to give preference to one sort of apples, combine them with each other, experiment. As practice shows, the ideal ratio is calculated, which involves the preparation of cider from two parts of sweet fruits and one part of sour ones.

• apples - 8 kg.
• granulated sugar - 1 kg.

1. Collect apples, wipe with a dry towel and place in a paper bag. Send for 3 days in a warm closet. Fruits cannot be washed out, because the cider is prepared on the basis of wild yeast that live on the peel.
2. At the end of the period, peel the apples from twigs and leaves. Cut into small cubes, mashed using a blender, harvester or meat grinder.
3. Choose a suitable container for insisting composition, sterilize by boiling water in it. Dry thoroughly, wipe, transfer applesauce to the pan. Important! Choose a container so that the apples do not fill it completely (approximately 2/3). You can use ordinary three-liter glass jars. In this case, it is necessary to spread the mashed potatoes into several containers and leave room for the formation of gas and foam.
4. After packing the mashed potatoes in jars, add sugar (preferably cane) to each composition. Based on the calculation, which is 1 kg. mass accounts for 125 g. sand. It is necessary to take into account the initial grade of apples: the sweeter they are, the less sugar is added. In the end, you should get a sweet, not very sugary wort.
5. Stir the mixture in each container, pull a gauze cloth or bandage over the neck. Send the composition to insist in a dark place (pantry, closet), the exposure time is 4-5 days. Avoid places with sudden changes in temperature (cellar, balcony, etc.).
6. Stir the wort daily with a wooden spoon in the morning and evening. The mixture will be whipped into a dense layer and harden on the surface of the composition. You need to constantly “drown” it. After 10-15 hours after the formation of the whipped layer, a characteristic hiss and foam will appear, this will be a consequence of the onset of fermentation.
7. Now pick up another container, but not for insisting, but for fermenting the wort. Boil it, wipe dry. Squeeze all the juice from the apple mixture into a jar, put a rubber glove on the neck. Using a needle, pierce 2 holes on the middle finger.
8. Place the composition in a dark, dry place with a temperature regime of 20 to 26 degrees. The duration of fermentation ranges from one to two months. After this period, the glove will fall on one side, a characteristic precipitate will appear at the bottom of the can, the cider will become light. All these signs indicate the end of fermentation. Important! There are times when fermentation lasts more than two months. Do not drag out longer in the hope that the cider is "about to ripen." Using a silicone tube, transfer the composition to another jar, leave to ferment under the same conditions.
9. After fermentation, carefully drain the cider, try not to raise the sediment. Prepare a filter for filtering: fold the cheesecloth in 4 layers, place cotton wool between them. Skip the drink, pour it over the dark bottles, cork (roll up). Important! If you do not plan to saturate the cider with carbon dioxide in the future, fill the bottles up to the neck. Otherwise, leave extra space.
10. After blocking the composition, send the cider to ripen in a dark cool place (the recommended temperature is 8-10 degrees, without drops) for 3–3.5 months. After this period, the drink is considered ready.

In the end, you will get a cider of delicate golden color, with a strength of 8-12%, with a sweet taste and light aroma. When drinking in small quantities, there is no hangover.

How to make cider from apples and pears

The traditional cider recipe includes only apples, but experienced housewives came up with an original variation of the drink with the addition of pears. The end result will please you, the product is moderately sweet, easy to drink, and not addictive.

• pears - 5 kg.
• green apples - 3 kg.
• red apples - 2 kg.
• cane sugar - 700 gr.
• concrete (optional)

Concrete is needed to lighten the cider, it is added as desired. In addition to the above ingredients, you will also need a container for insisting, a fermentation vessel, pan, dark bottles (glass or plastic).

1. Determine for yourself: how you will ferment the composition. In the case where cultured baker's yeast is used, the fruit must be washed. If you decide to use the wild method of fermentation, then you need to wipe the pears and apples with a dry towel.
2. Next, you need to get the juice from the fruits. To do this, remove twigs and leaves, cut the fruit into pieces, pass through a meat grinder, food processor, blender or juicer.
3. After the composition has turned into porridge, prepare a bag of gauze cloth, folding it in several layers. Then squeeze the liquid into a clean glass jar (pre-sterilized).
4. If you decide to ferment the composition with wild yeast, send it to a dark place with a stable temperature. When fermentation takes place with food yeast, add it according to the manufacturer's instructions. If you wish, you can add granulated sugar (50-70 gr. Per 1 liter of the composition), if apples and pears do not have enough taste.
5. When the mixture is kneaded, put on the neck of a medical glove, pierce one hole with a needle in the middle or index finger. As a rule, fermentation is completed after 1-2 months.
6. After this period, you can add concrete to the cider, giving the drink a delicate beige shade. To properly intervene, dissolve 40-50 g in a small amount of purified water. composition based on 10 liters of the future drink. Pour into the cider, shake the jar so that the crystals dissolve completely and do not settle. Wait 3 days, then remove from sediment.
7. Finish cooking by pouring the composition into plastic bottles. Cork them, refrigerate or cellar for 1 month. After this period, start tasting, if necessary, re-filter.

How to Saturate Cider with Carbon Dioxide

Not everyone likes carbonated drinks; some prefer to drink a composition with bubbles. For these purposes, carbon dioxide saturation was invented, which we will consider in more detail.

1. At the end of the fermentation, be sure to remove the drink from the sediment. A filter of 6 layers of gauze and an elongated piece of cotton wool inserted between them will help you with this. The mixture must be passed through a kind of sieve several times.
2. The strained composition must be bottled in plastic or glass. In this case, the containers must be pre-sterilized. Cider is poured only into dry cans, since even a drop of untreated water will ruin the product.
3. After thorough preparation, put sugar (beet or cane) on the bottom of the bottles. 12 grams per 1 liter of composition. sand. Sugar will provoke repeated fermentation, as a result of which carbon dioxide begins to be released.
4. 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 to a dark cabinet or pantry, leave for 2 weeks. Important! Twice a day, it is necessary to check the gas pressure in the tanks. At higher rates, the bottles will explode or swell, so periodically unscrew the corks, letting gas out.
5. After insisting at room temperature, move the finished cider to the refrigerator, store under these conditions constantly.

Refined French drink can be prepared independently, without spending a tidy sum. Choose your favorite variety of apples or pears, twist the fruits into porridge, squeeze the juice and insist on the wort. Add sugar in moderation to prevent the cider from being sugary.

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