Almost Applejack Making Time
Applejack is actually a melomel that can trace its orgins to Europe and is a very old alcoholic beverage, made with honey and cider. In that regard, it is technically a melomel of the mead family.
I have probably a hundred pounds or more of honey sitting here in large pails, courtesy of an apiary (bee keeper) friend of mine. And I’ve been meaning to put it to use in experimenting with some meads, metheglins and melomels. One of the ones I would like to make is apple based on this recipe.
One of the problems though is going to be the availability of fresh apple cider. You don’t want to use cider that has any preservatives in it as that could affect the yeast fermentation. Unfortunately in Ontario, we lost almost ninety percent of our apple crop this year due to spring conditions in which the month of March saw very warm weather, bringing out many blossoms on trees which were then subsequently hit by frosts in April.
If fresh apple cider is not readily available (or if it is, it may be quite expensive this year), I might try making my own. I’m not quite sure the best way to do that in my kitchen, but I do have a juicer so perhaps that will work.
If I can’t get pre-made cider, I’ll then have to decide which variety of apple to buy to make my cider. They will likely be imported from outside of Ontario, and I’m leaning towards Royal Gala as that is what I prefer to eat. There may however also be a better variety for the amount of juice content it contains. Some research is in order!
My son David is a huge fan of apple juice and cider, so no doubt when I make it, there needs to be plenty left over after what I need to make the melomel. It will be a fun to do with him, too.
If you’ve ever made apple cider before and have any advice, feel free to leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! Any and all advice will be taken into consideration.
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I am just learning to make wine at home now, and have enjoyed some of the tips here. So far, it has just been winemaking kits that I’ve used (two so far, a red and a white) but I do want to do more with other ingredients as well.
I’m especially looking forward to trying this apple jack recipe. Sorry – no tips on what the best apples might be to use though.