Spiced Cider

10.10.09 Spiced Cider

We decided it was time to do a seasonal flavor to welcome in the fall, and to try out at our upcoming CT vodka tasting party. We debated between a Pumpkin Spice vodka and a Spiced Cider, and decided that the Spiced Cider would be much more versatile and we should go with that one.

We did minimal research on this and decided to stick with the recipe for the Mad Scientists' spiced cider infused vodka, and to more-or-less follow their methods.

We took one apple, cored it, sliced it thinly, and added it to 750 ml Fris vodka. We also dropped in a cinnamon stick.

10.16.09 First apple replacement

Emilio took out the apple slices and replaced them with new ones.

10.21.09 Second apple replacement

Again, replace old apple slices with new apple slices.

10.22.09 Adding the spices

Emilio removed the cinnamon stick...because the directions say so. We set it aside to add back in later, should that be necessary. He also peeled an orange and put two orange wedges in the infusion, after tearing the wedges in half, to help provide surface area for the alcohol to access the orange. Three nutmeg seeds were also added at this point. Emilio was wondering if the nutmeg should be whole or not, given that it seems like it would be difficult to extract the flavor from the seed while it is still whole. We threw them in and decided we'd make changes later, if needed.

10.25.09 More spices

We tasted this one today and it was good! A good apple flavor. However, not as complex as a spiced cider. Hopefully the additions today will help! We added 20 whole all spice berries (~3g) and 24 cloves (~3g). Our digital scale wasn't very reliable with the weights, but they're in the correct ballpark. From the Mad Scientists recipes, we expect this one to be done in a day or two.

10.26.09 Needs another day

E did a taste test. The cinnamon needs to get put back in; there is almost no cinnamon flavor. The cloves etc, may be ready to come out tomorrow. The orange-to-apple balance is fine. There is still not much of a nutmeg taste. It currently tastes like apple juice, so we need more time for the spices to infuse. The cinnamon stick was put back in. E will taste test again in a day or two.

10.27.09 Almost done

E tasted it, and decided it was nearly done. He says it has much more of the holiday spice right at the front and fades into a apple cider. No vodka burn what so ever. L can't wait to try it. E thinks that it needs more cinnamon, so he's removing everything but the cinnamon stick. He'll test it again tomorrow.

The cloves and nutmeg are soft. The nutmeg seeds that weren't split are at the bottom.

11.22.09 Let's do it again!

We like the spiced cider so much that we decided to make a lot more of it. We divided a 1.75L bottle of Fris between 2 containers. We decided to use 3 different apples for the infusion, like we did for the previous version. Also, we decided to use 3 tangerine wedges instead of 2 orange wedges to increase the sweetness.

For each container:

875 ml Fris vodka, one thinly sliced Rome apple.

11.27.09

For each container: Removed old apple slices. Put in one thinly sliced Macintosh apple and a cinnamon stick.

12.02.09

For each container: Removed old apple slices. Put in one thinly sliced Golden delicious apple. Put in 3 nutmeg seeds, cut in half. Also added 3 tangerine wedges, with a slice in the wedge to aid in the infusing. E said he will taste test more often now as we're doing something different with the nutmeg and the cinnamon might be reaching its max. E said he's going to taste it tomorrow so it doesn't get "too cinnamoninized."

12.03.09

E removed the cinnamon stick.