I'll be you didn't know that this month is National Applejack Month! You may be thinking...a month to celebrate Apple Jacks - the deliciously sweet breakfast cereal - that's funny. However, it's actually a celebration of applejack, which is one of the earliest forms of hard cider.
Apparently, John Chapman - or Johnny Appleseed, as he was more commonly known - didn't plant the delicious tasting apples we commonly attribute to him. He planted orchards with sour apples so settlers could make applejack.
Since it is National Applejack month, I thought I would share an apple cider (sorry, I don't know any applejack ones!) recipe with you to enjoy as the weather begins to cool. Make it a world-class day and enjoy!
INGREDIENTS:
8 cups pressedApple Juice/Cider (not from concentrate)
1 orange, cut into 1/4″ slices
3 cinnamon sticks
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon cloves
1 inch piece of ginger cut into coin sized slices
1/4 cup brown sugar *optional spiced Rum
DIRECTIONS:
Place all the ingredients into a large pot and bring to boil for 5 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain cider before serving. Enjoy! *For a Spiked version, add a shot of spiced rum to each glass