Many in our country associate cider with the Wolf, the hooligan from the favorite Soviet cartoon “Well, Just Wait.” It is not known why the animators decided to use this noble drink, but the difficult-to-open bottle and the carbonation of its contents were remembered by both children and adults. In fact, cider dates back to the times of the Roman Empire and has always been an exclusively festive drinking drink.

In medieval France, cider was more popular than wine, and in the northern provinces of Brittany and Normandy it continues to maintain its position to this day. The drink is valued and respected in Germany, Spain, and England. There is nothing stopping us from joining European culture and making apple cider at home. The harm from such a product is minimal, but the benefits significantly exceed industrial designs.

General technological principles

Cider is usually understood as an alcoholic drink made from apples, carbonated and sweetish in taste. This is a traditional cider recipe, but not the only one. There are not only sweet and semi-sweet varieties, but also dry ones. Instead of apples, you can use pears, quinces and other fruits. There is still (still) cider and even non-alcoholic cider. Let us present the main stages of home winemaking using apple cider as an example.

Fruit preparation

To understand how to make apple cider truly tasty, let’s look at the composition. Industrial cider production uses specially bred “cider” apple varieties, for example, Yarlington Mill, Black Kingston, Bitter Tremlet. They contain sufficient amounts of tannins and acids, creating the rich natural taste of natural cider.

To achieve the same effect from garden apples, mix different varieties. You will need sour, sweet and tart varieties. It is customary to use late autumn varieties for apple wine. The apples are picked by hand and left to ripen in the cellar for 1–2 months.

The fruits that have lain down and are filled with juice must be carefully sorted from the leaves and cuttings. To preserve natural yeast on the surface of the peel, there is no need to wash the apples. Unless they are store bought. Particularly dirty ones can be wiped with a cloth. The benefits of using natural yeast culture significantly outweigh the possible harm from the remaining dirt.

Now you need to chop the apples. This is done at home using a food processor, blender, meat grinder, chopper, crusher and any other available tool. Choose a method based on the volumes to be processed.

Juicing

According to the experience of practicing winemakers, 10 kg of apples yield 7–8 liters of apple juice, and from this 5 liters of finished cider. It is not recommended to make cider from store-bought juice. Pasteurization used in factories does not leave the strains of microorganisms necessary for fermentation. Baker's, dry and even wine yeast are not capable of becoming a complete replacement. They impart a specific beer smell that hides the fruity aroma.

Preparation of wort. Universal recipe

To prepare the wort, 3 components are usually used: apple juice, water and sugar. Water is needed to neutralize the excess acidity of the apples. For very sweet apples it may not be necessary. The amount of sugar and the need for water are determined by the initial sweetness of the apples. Let's make a summary table of the composition of the wort for different varieties of apples.

For 10 liters of wort you will need:

Active and quiet fermentation

To maintain the sterility of the mash at the very beginning of fermentation, it is necessary to install a water seal. It will ensure timely removal of gases and prevent souring. Popular options: a latex glove and a sealed hose, the end of which is immersed in water. Anyone who has already prepared mash for moonshine will not have any difficulties making them.

The behavior of the water seal is one of the indicators of the readiness of apple mash at home. Combining this point with other features, we get the following algorithm:

• A layer of sediment has formed at the bottom of the fermentation tank.
• The taste of the mash turned from sweet to bitter.
• The characteristic sour smell has disappeared.
• Gas release and foaming have stopped: the water seal hose does not release bubbles into the water, and the glove has deflated and fallen off.

Simple recipe

This apple cider recipe is suitable for making a rich, aromatic drink with a strength of at least 12 degrees. Here, fermentation of juice with pomace, characteristic of wine production, is used. This allows you to increase juice secretion.

Cooking method:

1. Place the chopped apples along with juice, cake and pulp into a container suitable for fermentation. Fill no more than 3/4 full, leaving room for bubbling and foaming.
2. Cover the container with a thick, breathable cloth or multi-layer gauze and put it in a warm place away from direct sunlight.
3. Over the course of 3–4 days, periodically shake the container and knock down the cap that appears on the surface. The beginning of active fermentation will be indicated to us by a characteristic sour smell, the formation of gas and the appearance of foam.
4. We carefully squeeze the fermented cake through a sieve, gauze or press. Pour the resulting apple juice into a clean bottle for long-term fermentation.
5. To prepare the wort, you may need water and sugar. Add them to taste or see how many are given in the summary table from the previous paragraph. Sugar dissolves in a small amount of heated water or apple juice.
6. Now you can put a water seal on the bottle and put it in a dark room with a constant temperature of 22–27°C.
7. The duration of fermentation can be 1–2 months. This depends on the amount and activity of natural yeast remaining on the apple peel. It is important to maintain the temperature regime.
8. We drain the spent mash from the sediment into a clean container. This dry, unsweetened drink is not cider, but not yet. To lighten it, we again put it in a dark, cool place under a water seal for 3–4 months.
9. During this time, periodically drain the drink from the precipitate that falls. After the first filtering, add sugar. He won't leave anymore, so let's sweeten it to your taste. The absence of sediment in the cider and its transparency indicate the readiness of the drink.
10. All that remains is to pour everything into bottles, be sure to sign the vintage year, and then hide it in the refrigerator.

We safely store tightly sealed bottles for up to three years. Improper storage can cause harm to human health.

Sugar Free Juice Recipe

Making cider from apples using this method has been practiced in wineries for centuries. According to tradition, cider should have a low strength and consist only of apple juice. Although the legislation of European countries establishes different standards. The content of natural juice, and at the same time the usefulness of the entire product, varies from 35% in England to 100% in France.

Cooking method:

1. Squeeze apple juice. It is best to use a professional juicer. Unlike the previous case, we get rid of the cake.
2. Cover the strained juice with gauze for 2-3 days to activate natural fermentation. To make the process go faster, do not forget to maintain the temperature regime: 22–27°C.
3. Strain the fermented juice and pour into a clean container. We install a water seal and return the wort to its previous warm, dark place. We monitor the activity of the release of gases from the valve.
4. About a month after the gases are removed, we drain the mash from the sediment using a tube. As in the previous recipe for apple cider, the active fermentation phase gives way to quiet.
5. We put the mash drained from the sediment back under the shutter. Let the drink brew and clarify. As the sediment settles out, drain it and strain.

The finished cider from the juice is characterized by soft clarity and a warm matte color. It's time to bottle and put in the refrigerator.

How to make a drink carbonated?

Still homemade cider is very similar to apple wine. But most are accustomed to seeing it sparkling and sparkling like champagne. To add insidious and intoxicating bubbles to the drink, all you need is sugar.

It's easy enough to carbonate apple cider at home. After the quiet fermentation stage, pour sugar into bottles prepared for bottling. Required amount: 10 grams per 1 liter - for strong carbonation, 5 grams per 1 liter - for weak carbonation.

Pour the filtered apple drink on top, leaving 5–7 cm of free space before the plug. We cork the bottles tightly and put them away for 3-5 days in a warm, dark place. This is necessary to restart the fermentation that sugar will cause.

It is very important to control the process and prevent excess gases. To do this, pour the entire batch or a small part into a plastic container and monitor the increase in its volume. To reduce the concentration of gases, you can open the cap slightly and bleed off the excess. Stopping fermentation and at the same time further carbonation is simple: put the cider in the refrigerator.

• To make apple cider without sugar, but without losing its strength, it is recommended to use natural flower honey.
• You can brew non-alcoholic cider. It will not cause harm and will better preserve vitamins. You will need apple juice, orange pulp, spices and soda. The cooking method is reminiscent of sbiten.
• If you don’t have time to wait, we’ll teach you how to make apple cider in a week. In the first recipe, after 4–5 days of fermenting the juice on the cake under a glove, the wort after filtration should be bottled and refrigerated. After 3-4 days of aging, the drink can be filtered and consumed. It will not be possible to achieve high strength, but a bright apple taste will appear.
• The remaining juice from the second recipe can be used to make apple moonshine.

Top tip: remain sensible during the tasting. Cider is a drinkable, invigorating and refreshing drink. When used in moderation, it causes little harm acceptable for an alcoholic product and does not cause a morning hangover.

Connoisseurs of the drink do not agree with this, because it does not have the density of wine, the splash of champagne and the intoxicating heaviness of beer. They believe that apple cider is incomparable and deserves its place, but they equate it more with natural kvass. Apple cider, like bread kvass, is a pleasant-tasting and healthy drink for the body.

We’ll talk about the benefits and possible harm of the hero of today’s article a little later, first a little history.

Apple cider - the history of the drink

Apple cider is as old as grape wines. The Celts believed that this drink was sent to them from the “land of eternal youth” and valued it for the fact that it endowed a person with health and beauty. Scandinavians, Jews, and ancient Egyptians are also on the list of the first producers of apple cider.

The modern history of the drink begins in the 14th century, when the famous English theologian John Wycliffe introduced the world to the “Bible of Cider.” At this time, the drink not only competed with wine, it was used for medicinal ablutions, and in churches infants were baptized in it, believing that it was purer than water. True, over time, wines nevertheless replaced cider to more distant positions.

Although the main ingredient is apples, different manufacturers have different drinks, from crystal clear filtered to dense unfiltered drinks. Maybe that’s why they compare it with champagne or beer. Rosé cider is made exclusively from red apples. Drinks also differ in the degree of sweetness - from brut to sweet samples.

Apple cider is used to make a strong drink called Calvados, also called apple brandy. Sometimes pears are added to apples from 30 to 50%, and cider made only from pears is called perry.

Apple cider - homemade recipe

To make cider with your own hands at home you don’t need much - apples, sugar and a step-by-step recipe with photos.

I recommend taking apples intended for storage, and these are autumn and winter varieties. Summer varieties ripen quickly and produce little juice. Apples should be firm, ripe, but not overripe. If you want to make the drink healthier, you can replace sugar with honey.

How to make apple cider - step-by-step recipe with photos.

• Step 1 - getting juice

An important point is that apples cannot be washed, since beneficial bacteria live on the peel, which are necessary for fermentation. If the fruits are dirty, they need to be wiped with a dry cotton cloth.

Cut the apples into pieces, remove the seeds. Pass through a juicer.

• Step 2 - making wort

Pour the juice into a pan or bucket, cover with a cotton towel to protect from insects. Leave for 2 - 3 days.

• Step 3 - wort fermentation

During this period, the apple mixture begins to decompose into 2 fractions: pulp (remains of peel, pulp) and apple juice. The pulp will rise to the top, but in order for wild yeast spores to get into the juice, you need to stir 3 - 4 times a day.

• Step 4 - separating the wort from the juice

After about 3 days, the pulp will form a dense layer on the surface.
It must be removed using a colander or slotted spoon. Leave the juice for another day to enhance fermentation.

• Step 5 - fermentation of apple cider

For this stage, you will need a jar or bottle that can be tightly closed in order to prevent contact of the wort with air. If you don't do this, you'll end up with apple cider vinegar instead of apple cider.

Strain the juice through cheesecloth and determine the quantity.
This is necessary in order to add sugar. The amount of sugar depends on the sweetness of the apples and the sweetness of the resulting drink.

To get semi-sweet cider, add 150 - 200 grams per 1 liter of juice. Sahara.

To prepare sweet and dessert wines, add 300 - 400 grams of sugar.

To make the sugar completely dissolve, you can take a little juice, heat it to 25 degrees, add sugar,
Stir until completely dissolved and pour into the bottle. Pour the remaining juice there.

It is important to remember that the bottle is not completely filled; you must leave at least 1/5 of the volume unfilled for carbon dioxide and foam that will form during the fermentation process.

Close the bottle with a special cap into which a water seal is inserted to allow gas to escape. These can be either homemade or store-bought options.

If there is no such device, then a regular medical glove will replace the water seal. It is placed on the neck of the bottle, secured with a ribbon or tape to prevent air from entering and the glove does not fall off during fermentation. To prevent it from bursting, it is recommended to make a hole in one finger using a thin needle.

Based on our experience of making wine from grapes, we do not immediately pierce the glove. We look at the fermentation process, if the glove is very swollen, then we make a hole, if not, then we don’t. If even with one hole the glove swells greatly, then you can make an additional one. Before making holes, it is better to remove the glove so that it does not burst. Try to do everything quickly to reduce the time the wine contacts the air.

During fermentation, the container should be in a warm place, the desired temperature is 20 - 22 degrees. If it is not possible to put it in a dark place, try to find a place where direct sunlight does not fall on the bottle.

An important point is that excess sugar can stop the fermentation process, since there is not enough natural yeast for it. Therefore, if you make sweet cider, it is recommended to add sugar in parts. First add half the portion, close as indicated above. As soon as the fermentation process begins to decline, remove the lid with a shutter or glove and add the remaining sugar, dissolving it in a small amount of wine. Cover again and leave for final fermentation.

The entire fermentation period lasts 55 - 60 days.

We made semi-sweet apple cider and added all the sugar at once - 200 grams. per liter A glove was used as a shutter. I forgot to take a photo when she got up, it already happened the next day. Since we had a trial version and made a little juice, there was more than 1/5 of free space in the five-liter plastic container and there was no need to make a hole in the glove. The glove held on for about a month, then it fell off, but it was clear that the fermentation process was not completely finished and the wine was not transparent. Therefore, we did not touch it, we left it for another month.

The cider stood for 60 days. Carefully, so that sediment does not get into the drink, pour the finished wine into previously prepared bottles. To prevent sediment from getting in, it is better to pass it through cheesecloth.

Bottles must be clean and dry to prevent additional fermentation. The bottles should be filled as completely as possible. Close tightly and store in a cool (10 - 16 degrees) dark place.

• Stage 6 - aging the wine drink

The cider turned out tasty, with a pronounced but not intrusive aroma, and a beautiful golden color. The wine can be drunk immediately, but to improve the taste, it is recommended to let it sit for 3 - 4 months. The shelf life of apple cider prepared according to a recipe at home is up to 3 years.

Apple cider - video recipe from whole apples

If you don’t have a juicer, but want to make apple cider at home, then I found a video recipe on how to make a drink from whole apples.

Lessons on proper wine consumption

1. Connoisseurs of apple cider say that the cider is drunk well chilled, poured into tall wine glasses or glasses.
2. In a natural drink, sediment may appear at the bottom of the glass over time. Drinking cider with leftovers is bad manners.
3. Unlike other alcoholic drinks, apple cider is not used to make cocktails; it is drunk in its pure form.

The benefits and harms of apple cider

Apple cider, as you understand from the above recipe, is a naturally processed product that does not include heat treatment, which means it retains the vitamins and minerals of the original product - apples.

Due to the fact that it is an alcoholic drink, traditional healers used it as a remedy that reduces emotional stress and helps cope with stress and chronic fatigue.

But modern research has found other properties in this drink that have a positive effect on the human body:

• increases appetite
• removes toxins
• has a positive effect on the digestive process
• dilates blood vessels, normalizes blood pressure
• strengthens the walls of blood vessels, making them elastic
• lowers cholesterol, removes atherosclerotic plaques
• slows down the aging process by blocking free radicals
• Its high vitamin C content makes it a drink that increases resistance to colds

Nutritionists allow drinking apple cider during a weight loss course due to the fact that the drink is actively involved in metabolism and can improve metabolism.

During the fermentation process, phenolic compounds are formed in the drink, which inhibit the wear and tear of internal organs, thanks to which the skin and hair condition improve.

But with all the positive properties of apple cider, we must not forget that, having a low strength (no more than 9%), it is an alcoholic drink. Alcohol requires precautions and should not be consumed:

• persons under 18 years of age
• pregnant and lactating women
• people whose work requires concentration

People who have the following diseases should take this drink with caution:

• hepatitis
• peptic ulcer
• diseases of the genitourinary system
• pyelonephritis
• diabetes

For any chronic diseases, consultation with a doctor is necessary.

The safe consumption rate is 100 - 150 ml per day.

Non-alcoholic cider made from apple juice

If you are interested in a drink, but alcoholic drinks are contraindicated, then there is an alternative option. From apple juice, adding tasty and healthy ingredients, you can make a healthy and warming drink. Recipe for a non-alcoholic drink in the video.

I told you about such a product as apple cider; the recipe for making it at home is not complicated and, if consumed in moderation, will be a good addition in the form of a tasty and healthy drink.

Bon appetit.
Elena Kasatova. See you by the fireplace.

Apple wine should be drunk cool, enjoying every sip. However, you should fill the glass with the drink correctly - gourmets advise pouring cider so that its stream breaks against the walls of the glass. While the stream flies in the air, the wine is saturated with oxygen and the drink begins to foam, which contributes to the maximum development of the flavor bouquet. Since the foam does not last long, drink the cider as soon as possible to experience its unique taste with fresh apple notes and the aroma of summer...

If you learn how to prepare cider according to different recipes, you will not have problems with drinks, since apple wine perfectly replaces champagne at family parties and, in its non-alcoholic version, is served at the children's table. Enjoy the juiciness of fruit in your glass all year round!

Cider at home on the way to the desired drink

To make cider at home successful, you need to be patient. The process of producing apple drink is not particularly complicated, but requires compliance with specific technological steps.

Crushing of raw materials

To avoid the development of a bitter taste, the apples obtained as a result of careful selection must be cored and pitted, after which the raw material is sent for grinding. According to some recipes, apple cider is prepared at home without removing the core and seeds. Depending on the available means, grinding can be carried out using:

• household juicer;
• meat grinders with the finest sieve;
• graters

The result is a mixture of juice and pulp (pulp), the presence of which has a beneficial effect on the fermentation process.

The sea is agitated once - the first stage of fermentation

The initial stage of fermentation of juice and pulp takes place in a glass or steel container with a wide neck in a room at a constant temperature. The wort poured into containers is covered with several layers of gauze and left indoors for several days (3-4 days). Under the influence of the fermentation process, the pulp will begin to rise, separating from the apple juice. To avoid souring of the pulp, the wort must be stirred. After a few days, remove the pulp using a colander and strain the juice through cheesecloth. If desired, add sugar and water to the apple cider.

The sea is worried two ways – the second stage of fermentation and the water seal

The juice resulting from the separation of the pulp is poured into a sterilized, clean, dry jar, on top of which a water seal is placed. This element is necessary to remove carbon dioxide formed during fermentation to the outside and prevent oxygen from entering the container, which has a detrimental effect on the wort. If you're concerned about making the best cider possible, don't use a rubber glove as a water seal.

The simplest water seal is made using a hose, one end of which is inserted into a previously made hole in the lid of the jar, and the other into a container of water. The first week after the “divorce with the pulp” the juice will ferment very actively. Over time, the rampage of fermentation will end, the future apple cider will begin to behave more restrained, and a thick layer of sediment will appear at the bottom of the vessel.

When gas bubbles cease to form in the jar of water in the water seal, fermentation is over. A little patience - and in 30-45 days you will get aromatic apple cider at home. The drink loves the absence of light and constant temperature.

Goodnight kids or Give the cider a rest

The fermented wort must be carefully poured into pre-prepared sterilized bottles or bottles, separated from the resulting sediment using PVC tubes. Containers must be filled to the top and sealed tightly, otherwise the remaining oxygen will turn promising apple cider into unpleasant vinegar. After transfusion, the drink is again sent to rest in a dark, cool place, where it infuses and ripens at a temperature of +10-12°C. Cider at home sits for 60 to 120 days.

A simple recipe for apple cider at home

Try preparing apple wine according to our recommendations, and after a while you will enjoy a delicious drink, moderately sweet and moderately strong.

1. Grind the apples in a meat grinder or in a blender to a homogeneous pulp along with the peel and seeds, pour boiling water over the jars, dry and fill with applesauce to ⅔ volume - after all, you need to leave room for carbon dioxide and foam. Add sugar to the mixture (150 g of sand per 1 kg of fruit) and start preparing the wort.

2. Wrap the necks of the jars with cotton cloth or gauze, folded several times, and leave to ferment for four days in a warm place, remembering to stir the apple mass once a day. By the end of the fourth day, the apples will ferment - a characteristic smell of yeast, abundant foam and a promising hiss will appear.

3. Strain the mixture through cheesecloth and pour the resulting juice into a separate dry jar, put a water seal or medical glove on top and leave the jar alone for 45–70 days in a dark place. The water seal removes carbon dioxide and prevents oxygen from entering the jar, which often leads to spoilage of the wort. As soon as the liquid becomes lighter, air bubbles will no longer form in the jar, and you will see sediment at the bottom, the cider is almost ready.

4. All you have to do is strain the drink, pour it into bottles, seal it tightly, and then put it in a dark place to ripen. It is advisable to fill the container to the very neck, as oxygen can turn the cider into vinegar. At the same time, the temperature in the room where the cider is located should not be higher than 10–12 °C, and the settling period should be about three months - this is exactly the time required for the formation of taste. Properly made cider can last two to three years in the refrigerator.

You can make cider not from apples, but from fresh apple juice. The selection and preparation of fruits are carried out using standard technology, and then the liquid is placed in jars under a water seal for 3–4 weeks. After filtration, the cider is poured into jars, tightly closed and infused for another 4 months. And as a finishing touch - pour the cider into bottles and move it to the refrigerator, basement or cellar.

Homemade cider, aromatic, low-alcohol, home-made freshness.

Find the most perfect, reliable homemade cider recipes on the exciting food website 1000.menu. Try the drink options not only from apples, but also from pears, cherries and other fruits. Learn to make sodas and classic wines. Create pleasure with your own hands!

Cider is a drink originally from France. Classic cider is made by fermenting apple juice with 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. Stir.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 the fruit puree once a day.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.

The technology for making cider from apple juice consists of several stages. The fruits are sorted, washed and peeled, the juice is squeezed out and fermented in oak barrels. After fermentation is complete, the drink is filtered and bottled into glass bottles.

Making cider from apple juice

The preparation procedure for this drink takes approximately two months. To make the drink aromatic and have a pleasant apple taste, it is best to mix several varieties. Sometimes juice from pears and other sweet fruits is added to improve the taste.

Natural fermentation lasts approximately five to six weeks, depending on the quality of the juice. That is why cider is made from juice squeezed from ripe fruits. In some cases, you can use a store-bought product, although this may significantly reduce the quality of the drink.

Natural apple juice is fermented naturally, so the fermentation of the wort lasts more than a month. To speed up this process, you can use wine or natural yeast.

The ripened drink has approximately 5-7% and is ready for consumption. For long-term storage, the drink is clarified and pasteurized.

The drink, prepared five weeks in advance, is more reminiscent of kvass and can be drunk immediately. Before you make cider from juice, you should take into account that a good drink is sparkling. Therefore, if you want to make real cider, it will need to be fortified with cognac and subjected to secondary fermentation.

Recipe for Sparkling Apple Juice Cider

Using the classic cider recipe from apple juice, you can make a great sparkling wine. To do this, well-fermented dry cider will need to be fortified with cognac - diluted to a strength of 9-10%.

Sparkling cider will be stronger, so it can safely be called a light wine. The higher the percentage of alcohol in the drink, the more carbon dioxide it will retain.

To infuse the drink, you should use bottles with thick walls, preferably made of dark glass.

To make sparkling cider from apple juice, add sugar to the drink and set it for secondary fermentation. It’s not difficult to make sparkling wine - you need to add 12-16 grams of sugar to each half-liter bottle of fermented cider.

During secondary fermentation, the bottles must be tightly closed with lids and carefully placed - keep the cider in a horizontal position at a temperature of 25-27 degrees until the drink clears.

After this, the bottles must be turned over and placed upside down and left for 2 months. During this time, all the sediment will collect in the lid and become compacted.

The recipe for making cider from juice this way may seem quite complicated, but it allows you to achieve delicious results. After the planting has compacted, the bottles of cider can be taken to a cool place or placed in the refrigerator. You need to very carefully remove the lid and pour off some of the wine and sediment, then immediately close it tightly.

You can add a little fruit liqueur to each bottle to give the drink just the right amount of sweetness. Instead of liqueur, you can use regular fruit syrup.

Recipes for cider from juice are useful not only for lovers of light drinks. If you're into home winemaking, you can use cider to make stronger drinks such as Calvados.

It is more difficult to prepare cider from store-bought juice, since it is very rare to find a suitable drink on sale. By adding sugar and yeast, you can make a light, pleasant cider, but for sparkling wine you must use only natural juices.

Apple cider is a delicious drink that you can make yourself. The classic recipe for apple cider at home is quite simple, and it is recommended to try it for the first time. Next time you can experiment with the ingredients, preparation methods and infusion time.

According to the classic recipe, you will need a minimum of ingredients from which you will get a clean, aromatic drink.

We will need:

• 1 kg apples;
• 50 gr. raisins;
• 300 gr. Sahara.

Let's start making apple cider. Any variety of apple is suitable, the main thing is that they should be fragrant. We wash all apples well, cut off rotten areas and other damage, and remove the core. Next, we chop them finely and put them in a three-liter bottle. Having folded half of the product, sandwich it with some sugar, fold in the other half of the fruit, and add the remaining sugar. Add raisins on top - they will give the desired fermentation process. Fill the top with spring (if possible) or distilled water in a volume of 200 ml.

We close the container tightly and insert a special water seal into which we pour 60-degree moonshine or vodka with a volume of 40-60 ml. Leave for 10 days. When bubbles begin to appear in the bottle, fermentation has begun; when they stop rising, the process is over, you can begin filtration.

Take a sieve and a container for pouring. Insert a funnel with a piece of cotton wool to filter the sediment. Pour the drink and close tightly. Store in a dark place.

On a note. Instead of a water seal, you can put a sterile medical glove on the jar, after first piercing one hole with a needle so that the gas escapes. When the glove is inflated, fermentation has begun; when it falls, it is over.

The easiest and fastest way to cook

This recipe for apple cider will be relevant in the winter season - the drink is drunk hot, like mulled wine, for example. Quick apple cider warms you up after a walk in the cold.

For a homemade low-alcohol drink:

• apple juice 1l;
• 1 apple and 1 orange;
• brown sugar ¼ cup;
• spices: 2 cinnamon sticks, cloves, nutmeg and a little allspice.

Cooking method:

To begin, cut the apple in half, peel the seeds and stick cloves into it, cut the orange into circles, and grate the nutmeg on a fine grater.

Let the juice heat up. Once the juice is hot, add brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Then add the rest of the prepared ingredients. Bring the drink to a boil and cook for ¼ hour. Then we catch pieces of fruit.

The drink is ready to drink. It is served hot.

Recipe for making juice without sugar

An option for quickly making delicious homemade cider from simple store-bought juice:

• apple juice 2.5 l;
• yeast.

As a rule, store-bought juices contain quite a lot of sugar, so there is no need to add any additional sugar.

We use a sterilized three-liter jar as a container. Pour apple juice into a container. Pour half a teaspoon of dry yeast into 50 ml of warm water and leave for 15 minutes. When the yeast is ready, pour it into a jar of apple juice and place it under a water seal. Leave to ferment at room temperature for a week.

We filter the fermented juice and pour it into clean bottles for storage. Store in a cool, dark place.

With added honey

Honey cider made from homemade apple juice is very tasty and... quite alcoholic. Quite a lot of time passes from the start of preparation to the possibility of tasting. Nevertheless, the drink is worth it, we recommend trying it:

• liquid flower honey 1.5 l;
• water 4.5 l;
• a packet of wine yeast;
• freshly prepared apple juice 1.5 l.

First, prepare the honey base - pour the honey into water and begin to cook slowly. It is important to remember the water level, since after cooking the honey water there will be much less and will need to be added.

When it starts to boil, foam will appear, which must be collected. Continue cooking over low heat for 1.5-2 hours until foam stops appearing. Add drinking water to the original level and bring to a boil. Afterwards we put it in a bowl of water to cool, it will be faster.

While the honey base is boiling, prepare the juice: peel the apples, cut them and pass them through a meat grinder, then squeeze out the juice using gauze.

By this time, the honey syrup (full) will have cooled down and will be a little warm. Add sugar and stir thoroughly.

In accordance with the dosage indicated on the bag, dilute the required amount of yeast in warm water and leave for 15-20 minutes.

In the meantime, pour the honey into a sterilized bottle, then add yeast and set the water seal. Let it ferment at room temperature for about a month.

After a month, carefully pour the drink through the filter and leave it for another 2-3 days so that the last sediment falls out. During this time, the drink will become more transparent.

Prepare bottles for carbonation. For a liter bottle you will need a teaspoon of sugar. Pour for carbonation - formation of gases. Carbonation lasts about three weeks.

On a note. If the apples are sweet or sweet and sour, you will need to prepare 1.5 liters of them. If it’s sour, 1 liter is enough. The best option is 1.5 liters from different types of apples.

Homemade apple and pear cider recipe

Mixed cider made from apples and pears is very aromatic and unusual:

• pears 6 pcs.;
• apples 5 pcs.;
• wine yeast;
• sugar (50 g per 1 liter of drink).

Fruits can be taken in different varieties. Wash it thoroughly. We remove damaged areas and darkened spots from the fruit, cut out the cores and cut into small pieces so that it is convenient to pass through a meat grinder or juicer. We turn the prepared puree into juice. The volume is a three-liter bottle. Depending on the size of the fruit, it may turn out a little larger or smaller.

Ferment the yeast with warm water in a separate glass, let it brew for 15-20 minutes. Then pour them into the puree and add 0.3-0.5 drinking water. It is important to leave a small free space up to the neck of the bottle. Add sugar in an amount calculated for the resulting volume of the drink. We put a water seal and leave it to ferment for 1.5 weeks. It is recommended to pour a little vodka or moonshine into the water seal to prevent germs from entering.

Pass the fermented cider through a sieve and pour into disinfected bottles to ripen for 1.5-2 months in a cool, dark place.

On a note. A hydrometer is used to measure the alcohol level in a drink. The approximate value for cider is about 23, which is about 10-11 degrees.

Soft drink for children

Apple drink is liked not only by adults; children will also appreciate it. But with the usual method of preparation, the cider turns out to be alcoholic. In this recipe we will tell you about non-alcoholic cider for children:

• apple juice 3 l;
• orange 1 pc.;
• we use unground spices: star anise (5 pcs.), cinnamon (2 sticks), pepper (10 pcs.), cardamom (5-6 broken boxes), fennel (2 tsp.), cloves (10 pcs.);
• flower honey.

Pour the juice into a saucepan. Cut the orange into small rings, then into quarters and add to the juice. Immediately add the spices.

Place the pan on the fire and cook until it boils. When it boils, let it cook for 10 minutes, remove from heat and let stand for a while (40 minutes). Afterwards, we catch all the fruits and spices, add honey to taste, stir thoroughly until it is completely dissolved and pour into cups.

• dried fruits 2 kg;
• sugar 6 kg;
• yeast 300 gr.;
• filtered water 20 l.

First of all, we heat 10 liters to 80 degrees. Pour dried fruits into a large container and fill with water. Cover with a lid and let the wort brew. We wait until its temperature cools down to 35 degrees.

We heat the remaining water to 50 degrees and dissolve sugar in it. By this time, the wort will have reached the desired state and the sugar syrup can be combined with the apple wort. Stir and measure the temperature, which should be 35-37 degrees. If the temperature is correct, add yeast. Leave to ferment. When the foam stops releasing, filter and bottle.

How to make cider carbonated?

The carbonation of the drink depends on the sweetness of the apples. In general, the gas bubbles are almost invisible, making the cider similar to apple wine.

1. Be sure to filter homemade cider to remove sediment.
2. Thoroughly wash and dry plastic or glass containers for pouring cider.
3. Add a teaspoon of sugar per liter bottle. It is sugar that promotes secondary fermentation, but since the bottles will be tightly closed, the drink will remain carbonated.
4. Pour cider into bottles, not adding 3-5 cm to the neck, and close tightly.
5. Leave to ripen for two weeks in an unlit place.