Liquid Apple Pie (xxx)

I first heard about this drink on a TV show I like "Justified", it intrigued me enough to look it up online. Incidentally, this recipe barely resembles the drink from the show as moonshiners just mix their moonshine 50/50 with apple juice. Anyway, there are a litany of recipes for the drink all over online, but this is a blending of multiple recipes and of course plenty of trial and error, even though my 1st batch was perhaps the best I've ever made.

The name "Apple Pie" hits the nail on the head as each drink tastes exactly like a bite of apple pie. Even better, this drink has enough booze to warm you up during the cold nights of the Holidays I make it for, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas. But perhaps most surprising is even with the considerable amount of grain alcohol (essentially legal moonshine) in this recipe you can barely tell there is any alcohol in it at all as long as you let it age a little. The taste right after you make it barely resembles the finished taste after a week of aging.

I promise any holiday gathering you serve this at or bring to will make you the toast of the party. I give small mason jars of this for Christmas gifts. I rarely get very much of it because as soon as word is out I have a batch, you would think I won the lotto with all the friends and family who come out of the woodwork.

Fair warning in advance, this isn't something you make on a whim. The amount of time it takes to make and age relegates it to special occasions rather than random cravings.

Step 1: Gather Ingredients

1 Gallon Apple Cider

*If you notice in the picture, the cider I used was lightly colored and cloudy, as a result the finished product wasn't as pretty as usual.

*Keep in mind that some cider's have more sediment than others, if you get a sediment heavy variety, you might want to strain the finished product through cheese cloth.

1 Gallon Apple Juice

4 Cups Granulated Sugar(Haven't tried raw sugar, but have high hopes for it)

1 Tbs. Vanilla Extract

6-10 Cinnamon Sticks

1 750 ml Bottle Everclear (180 proof grain alcohol)

*White Rum +50% volume can be substituted

*But Everclear gives better results and it takes less

1 Apple(Optional)

Step 2: Combine 1st Set of Ingredients

Turn stove to setting 8 out of 10

In large stockpot combine:

Apple Juice

Keep Empty Jug for later

Apple Cider

Keep Empty Jug for later

Vanilla Extract

Cinnamon Sticks (6 of them)

Sugar(Wait until the mixture is steaming to add the sugar. Add the sugar slowly while stirring)

You should still have

Liquor

6 of the cinnamon sticks

*This is mostly decoration, but also increases the cinnamon profile slightly

1 apple (optional)

*This is strictly decoration to have in the serving container, especially if it is see through, I personally don't like to include it, but my mom does

Step 3: Heating

Keep stockpot uncovered

Adjust heat if necessary

Essentially you want steaming and almost a low rolling boil, you shouldn't see bubbles forming and rushing up from bottom of pot, but you should see the liquid rolling at the surface making it look semi-turbulent

The length of time to leave on the stove is largely choice

At minimum, heat until the cinnamon sticks unroll most of the way

The longer you heat, the more volume you lose and the richer the flavor

I recommend 4-6 hrs.

Step 4: Cooling

Remove stockpot from heat

Leave it in the stockpot, separating it out into the storage containers at this point will cause problems

(You would not believe the blooper reel I could put together)

Separating into various containers will come later

Let stand until the product reaches room temperature

Moving on to the next step while the product is still hot will result in evaporation of the alcohol

(Once I moved on to the next step while product was still being heated on stove, and another time right after I took it off the stove, this is a bigger problem than you would think since you can't add alcohol to taste, as aging is critical, so any change in alcohol content will result in you waiting the entire aging time without knowing if it is too strong or too weak.)

Remove the used cinnamon sticks from the pot

Step 5: Add Liquor

With the product cooled to at least room temperature (cooler is better)

Pour the liquor into the mixture slowly

Have grain alcohol splash into your eye, and you will appreciate the slowly part of this step

Step 6: Bottle for Aging

Regardless of how you intend on serving it, the two best choices for bottling during the aging process

Pour into 2 gallon jugs

Because of all the volume loss from the heating stage, the entire concoction, even with the booze added should fit back into the two gallon jugs left over from the Apple Juice and Apple Cider if you so choose.

Pour into smaller bottles

I have used old small liquor bottles I had kept

Good option for gift giving, just throw a bow on it

This facilitates your rationing so you don't run out unexpectedly

Apple cider often has sediment in it, add in the sediment that can come off of the cinnamon sticks and you can have a significant amount of foreign material left at the bottom of your containers. This can be off putting to some so if you like, you can put cheese cloth in the funnel when bottling the product to get rid of it.

*This is the only time I have tried this and while it is a pain in the backside, it filtered it out exceptionally well

Add cinnamon sticks to the bottles whether they are the final product, or just being used for the aging process

Let set undisturbed for at least 5 days, although I consider a week the minimum.

The product must remain cool during aging and storage thereafter.

The longer you leave it to age the better the flavor up to 10 days, at that point aging will no longer change the product.

The longer you leave it to age the less you notice the presence of alcohol up to 10 days, at that point the drink is what it is.

I wish I could tell you how long the shelf life it, but it never lasts long, even when I manage not to suck it all down, as soon as the word gets out I have a batch, friends and family suddenly flood through doors and windows, so the longest I have ever stored it was one of the bottles I gave as a present that was stored for 3 weeks after I let it age a little more than 1 week.

So I can guarantee that it is safe and good for at least 4 weeks as long as you keep it cold

Since this drink is most popular during the colder months, depending on where you live you could get away with storing it in the garage. If not, the fridge is your only choice

Step 7: Serving

As discussed earlier, it can be given in small bottles as gifts and of course can be consumed directly from the bottle, even with the cinnamon stick still in it.

Or a similar way that has gotten a much better response is to put in small mason jars with decorative fabric over the lid, under the ring, with a ribbon glued around the ring, of course each jar has its own cinnamon stick

When we are hosting parties, we have a large glass jug in the shape of an apple with a spout at the bottom. When serving this way, of course add cinnamon sticks, but if you choose you can include apple wedges as well for decoration.

I prefer the flavor better when served cold, even in the cold weather the drink warms you up all on its own, some prefer it room temp and some prefer it warmed slightly, decide for yourself.

When done properly, even with the large amount of grain alcohol, more than a few people have had no idea that it contained alcohol. But it is in there, so be careful, it is stronger than the average cocktail.

My favorite holidays to make this for are Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas/Christmas Eve, New Years and the only warm weather holiday, the 4th of July(after all, what's more American than Apple Pie? especially with booze in it)