22 – Apple Cider
37 points
3 of 16 lists
Top Vote: #11 Cole Stratton
Serving Preferences: Hot Spiced (Cole Stratton), Cold (Johnny Unusual)
Apple cider (also called sweet cider or soft cider) is the name used in the United States and parts of Canada for an unfiltered, unsweetened, non-alcoholic beverage made from apples. It may be opaque due to fine apple particles in suspension and may be tangier than conventional filtered apple juice, depending on the apples used.
This untreated cider is a seasonally produced drink of limited shelf-life that is typically available only in fall, although it is sometimes frozen for use throughout the year. It is traditionally served on the Halloween,Thanksgiving, and Christmas holidays, sometimes heated and mulled.
While the term cider is used for the fermented alcoholic drink in most of the world, the term hard cider is used in the United States and much of Canada. In the United States, the distinction between plain apple juice and cider is not legally well established.
Some individual states do specify the difference. For example, according to the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources "Apple juice and apple cider are both fruit beverages made from apples, but there is a difference between the two. Fresh cider is raw apple juice that has not undergone a filtration process to remove coarse particles of pulp or sediment. Apple juice is juice that has been filtered to remove solids and pasteurized so that it will stay fresh longer. Vacuum sealing and additional filtering extend the shelf life of the juice." In Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency also regulates "unpasteurized apple cider".
Drink Recipe – Spiced Apple Cider Ingredients
1 tbsp (15 mL) grated orange rind
4 whole cloves
2 pieces cinnamon, (1 inch/2.5 cm)
3 cups (750 mL) apple cider or apple juice
Granulated sugar, (optional)
Preparation:
In small square of double-thickness fine cheesecloth, tie up orange rind, cloves and cinnamon pieces; place in saucepan. Add apple cider; cover and heat over medium heat just until boiling.
Remove from heat; let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Discard bag; stir in sugar to taste (if using).
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