Want to make cider at home? Then accept this article as a guide to action. Without further ado, let’s get down to the core.
So how to make cider at home?
The first step is to choose the "right" apples. Someone advises to take fruits acidic, someone - sweeter. For the first time, stop at the golden (sweet and sour) middle. Juiciness is very important in this matter. Over time, you yourself decide which apples to make homemade cider from. Each chef starts with a clear recipe, and then, having learned the basics, sets about experimenting.
How to make cider fast and easy?
First you need to pass the washed apples through a juicer. Then the resulting juice is boiled (sterilized, but not boiled), cooled and diluted yeast is added to it (a teaspoon is enough for two liters of juice).
The next step is well familiar to those who have already encountered the production of homemade wine. On the neck of the jar (or bottle) into which you poured the juice, you need to wear a water seal (sold in stores, does not allow air to enter the container, but at the same time releases the gas generated during fermentation). You can, of course, use an ordinary rubber glove, but this option should be reserved in case of emergency.
After three days, the liquid is filtered (some use gauze, but it is better to use a layer of cotton wool wrapped in gauze or bandage). Then the young cider is poured into dark bottles (ideally, but for lack of any fit) and clogged. Cider should be infused for at least a month, in a cool place, not in the light. The cellar (the subfloor) is best suited for this purpose and the refrigerator is not suitable at all (the temperature there is below +7 ° C, but should be +7 ... + 10 ° C). After a month and a half, you can enjoy a fragrant drink.
And now about how to make cider without yeast. This process will take much more time, but the result is really worth it! This cider preparation procedure will be considered step by step. So...
- Ripe and aged apples are thoroughly wiped with a clean cloth (without prior washing).
- The fruits are chopped (an ordinary meat grinder will be very appropriate here).
- The resulting mass is weighed.
- For every kilogram of chopped apples sugar is added (up to 150 grams, not more).
- The mixture is transferred to a washed and dried container (up to 2.5 kg per 3 l jar). The neck is tied with a cloth (or gauze).
- Now we need to wait for the fermentation process itself. The contents of the cans are mixed at least once a day.
- After the appearance of a characteristic odor, the juice, along with the liquid, is filtered, again poured into containers (clean and dry).
- A water shutter is installed on the jar, as in the previous recipe .
- Tanks are removed to the subfloor before the end of the fermentation process (usually for a month and a half).
- Next, the drink is again filtered (through a layer of cotton wool).
- The finished cider is tightly clogged and sent back to the underground. Three months later, it is ready for use.
Now you know how to make cider. This drink can be ennobled with new taste notes using noble grape varieties, raspberries, and peaches as additives. Pear gives cider a very pleasant aroma. However, this is far from all. What do you say when you know that cider can be cleaned with milk? For this, only natural milk, absolutely skimmed (pasteurized, without cream), is suitable. It mixes with cider in half (1: 1). Such a cocktail is aged at t +15 ° C for three days. Cider during this time is very lightened and acquires a very delicate creamy finish. The only negative: this drink is not stored for a long time.
Pour cider in a special way, lifting the bottle over the glass about a meter.